Former Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who has been actively involved in the negotiation process, spoke out Friday when the comments by Jeff Pash, lead negotiator for the owners, struck him. Hillenmeyer is in El Paso, Texas, attending the Conference USA men’s basketball tournament as his father-in-law Tim Floyd leads UTEP into the title game today, but he went ahead and wrote a blog for NBC Chicago, criticizing Pash and the league for their portrayal of the players.
“When I watch Jeff Pash, head negotiator for the NFL and ownership, go on national television and poison any atmosphere of mutual best interest that has existed to this point, I feel compelled to speak out. That man is, at best, intentionally shrouding the real interactions that took place in negotiations and, at worst, lying through the camera to millions of hardworking NFL fans. “This negotiation has been going on for two years. I have read every detail of multiple separate proposals from NFLPA leadership during that time. Until this week, the NFL made no meaningful counterproposals to its original stance from months and months ago. “We, the NFLPA, were negotiating with a brick wall. For Mr. Pash to depict the ultimate failure by both sides to reach an agreement as a coup d’état by the players is just irresponsible.”
Hillenmeyer, who for years served as the Bears’ representative to the NFLPA, is clear when he writes that he does not expect fans to choose sides in a battle over a $9 billion golden goose. It’s absurd to fans, and quite frankly it’s a story that should never be a story. But with the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987, when replacement players were used for a time, it’s now a very real issue. “Let’s hope my career as a blogger is very short-lived, and that the game we all love can settle this labor dispute sooner rather than later,” Hillenmeyer wrote.
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