Former players challenge NFLPA

Nearly two dozen former NFL players, including seven members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, have signed a letter requesting that the NFL Players Association be expelled from the AFL-CIO. 

The players, including former Bills guard Joe DeLamielleure, former Vikings safety Paul Krause, former Lions cornerback Lem Barney, former Rams guard Conrad Dobler and former Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, filed a grievance with the AFL-CIO against the players' union. The grievance charged that the union has failed in its "moral obligation to retired players" and that the union has sacrificed benefits for retired players to increase financial packages for current players. 

The grievance also suggests that the NFLPA's "moral lapse" is in direct conflict with the core principles of the AFL-CIO constitution. 

The letter was filed by attorney Michael Hausfeld, who worked alongside the NFLPA during labor negotiations aimed at a new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last year. However, Hausfeld eventually split with the NFLPA over his contention that the union was not adequately representing the interests of retired players.