Gene Upshaw, dead at 63, Berthelsen named interim director

In pretty, okay very shocking, news; NFL.com is reporting that NFLPA director Gene Upshaw has died at age 63. I have been very critical of how he has run the NFLPA at times, notably that he saw no problem with the top-10 draft picks making 5-10 times more than proven veterans; and that he showed little regard for the health of former players, openly criticizing them for wanting more than the minimum coverage and wanting an easier way to prove their injuries were a result of years of playing a violent game. Guys like Mike Webster come to mind, whose family I seriuosly doubt will send a card or flowers. Upshaw also has been criticized for his refusal to allow the NFLPA to identify his successor, out of fears that the league would then undermine him by working directly with the successor as to key terms of the CBA.

We will hear plenty about his contributions in the coming days, peace to your family.

From NFL.com:

Gene Upshaw, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and executive director of the NFL's Players Association, died early Thursday morning after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 63.
Upshaw, a former left guard for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, was named an All-Pro 11 times in his 16-year career. He also was selected to seven Pro Bowls between 1967 and 1981 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987 - his first year of eligibility.Upshaw was a member of the Oakland team that won the 1967 AFL Championship but lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II. He would later win championships with Oakland in 1977 and again in 1984 following the team's move to Los Angeles.
His trio of appearances makes him the only player in NFL history to appear in the Super Bowl in three different decades and the only player to start in both an AFL and NFL Championship game.

Also:

http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

Update from profootballtalk.com:

In a conference call that commenced at noon in the East, the NFL Players Association dealt with some unwanted, but necessary, business.
Given the stunning passing of Executive Director Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA needed an interim replacement. Long-time NFLPA General Counsel Richard Berthelsen was the unanimous choice, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.