Next union leader would be wise to learn from Upshaw's legacy

And I haven't even gotten around to what Upshaw did for player salaries.

"He fought hard for the players and always kept his focus on what was best for the game," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "His leadership played a crucial role in taking the NFL and its players to new heights.

"Gene's tremendous love of the game also showed in his wide-ranging support of football at all levels. It is a sad day for the NFL, but Gene's positive impact and legacy will live on for decades to come."

Upshaw had his critics, with some of them charging that he worked a little too closely with former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, a friend of Upshaw's. All I know is they knew how to hammer out agreements that kept the league in business and players and owners in step.

Upshaw could be tough, but he knew when to cut a deal. I don't remember anyone complaining that the last labor extension was the result of Upshaw caving in to owners. On the contrary, the exact opposite was voiced -- with owners voting unanimously this spring to end the extension in March 2011.

One reason: Their concern that players receive nearly 60 percent of league revenue.

Now whom do you think closed that deal? It was Upshaw, and his successor would make a mistake if he didn't follow his initiative. Upshaw could be tenacious. He could be strident. He could seem intractable. And he wasn't afraid to fight.

When the league's owners this spring voted to opt out of the current CBA, Upshaw fired back that if the league played a season without a salary cap it would be "highly unlikely" it would gain one again. He also said that if there were the threat of a lockout in 2011, he'd recommend decertifying the union to avert the move and to expose owners to a potential antitrust lawsuit by players.

In essence, Upshaw told the NFL to bring it on. If you want a fight, you would have to go through him. And that's why the NFLPA benefited from his guidance. But while he was forceful, his strongest quality was that he understood the value of compromise, particularly when it came to keeping labor peace.

Maybe the best example was what happened in 1993, when he gained free agency for NFL players. Four years earlier Upshaw did not give into the league's plan for limited freedom, something called Plan B, and fought for the system we have now.

And now we have unrestricted free agency, achievable after four years of service. Only to get there Upshaw had to be willing to offer something in return, and he did. He agreed to a salary cap, which would reduce the pay for some and force the releases of others.

What it would do for the game, however, was keep it going and growing. The salary cap for this season is $116 million per club, with players paid $4.5 billion -- or close to 60 percent of the total revenues of the 32 teams, and we already know what owners think about that.

"If you hit him in the head," said Tagliabue, "he could hit you back twice as hard -- but he didn't always do so. He was very tough but also a good listener. He never lost sight of the interests of the game and the big picture."

Here's hoping that lesson is repeated. What lies ahead is a road littered with potholes, with a new CBA the deepest and most troublesome hazard. But Upshaw negotiated his way to a last-minute settlement in 2006, and his successor can do the same.

Provided, of course, he follows Gene Upshaw's lead.