NFLPA has no comment on NFL’s plan for Fail Mary 2

The league that brought us the Fail Mary is already making plans for Fail Mary 2. Anyone who cares about pro football should be alarmed.

The concerns should commence with the players. In lieu of having games officiated and controlled by the best of the best, the NFL is willing to rely on less than the best.

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For now, the NFL Players Association has no comment. At some point, the union must speak up — loudly.

Beyond the fact that the players have an immediate stake in the quality of the officiating is the reality of unions supporting other unions. The same league that is currently squeezing the officials has squeezed before, and will squeeze again, the players.

With the NFLPA currently standing silent on the subject, here’s what former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith had to say: “Several years ago the Players stood with the officials when they were locked out an[d] was prepared to file a grievance that the NFL’s removal of the experienced and on-field first responders created an unreasonable health and safety risk. Still the right thing to do.”

Yes it is. And maybe there will be a time for it. With the NFLPA freshly installing a new executive director, and with months to go before a lockout of officials would start, the union likely believes it’s smarter to bide its time.

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That said, there’s an argument to be made for anyone/everyone with a stake in the game to shout down a plan to use replacement officials again. It would be a COLOSSAL mistake, and here’s hoping we won’t be alone in saying so.