Evening star., 1956-12-30
ATCHISON'S A S
A NGLE
Football Union Here to Stay
BY LEWIS r. ATcHlsoN

NEW YORK DEC 29.-After mingling with the National
Football League brass here the of tomorrow cham
Giants evident that the resigned to the
new National Football Players Association.
Not only will the players successfully organize but
club officials privately are saying may be good thing for
the owners AS Nick Kerbawy of the Detroit
Lions said Nov that they've got lawyer they may
their contracts and stop jumping to Canada"
Elsewhere in the sports pages may read details Of
what occurred at the neighborng Waldorf Astoria where
10 player representatives and Attorney Creighton Miller
oneme Notre Dame hafback met to lay the groundwork
for their organization Club officials meanwhile
gathering for soree at the Warwick.
The tpof that the owners will accept this change in
the players economic status from Commissioner
Bell himself couple of weeks the portly commissioner
huy announced that he would meet with lawyers
ing to organize the players added he glad
to talk to the players at time they had problems but
lawyers,
TODAY BELL AMENDED that statement to say that he
was willing to sit down and talk with anybody
fair proposition AS afterhought the commissioner said
he believed the players business transacted with
the owners themselves not him. Evidently seen
handwriting the wall hasn't got the word from men
who control the clubs.
Peculiarly resentment seemed to be totally absent
owners reaction to the latest developments One got
the impression that they expected all along and only
dered why was so long in coming One writer covering the
organization meeting mot this left with the impression
that the players still vague about demands but
on the other hand Miller undoubtedly wasn't laying his
on the table until being called by the owners
When player insurance mentioned one heard count
less stories Of how well clubs had cared their wounded
The Philadelphia Eagles for example, will pay Keller
$50 week above his regular salary long as his
injured knee in cast Somebody said the Eagles spent
$4,000 in salaries and doctors bills injured players
year II they spent only half that sum- the figure sounded
impressive.
THE Vic Janowcz brought this one" someone said
"And the Los Angeles Rams" a bystander added
Although no think of good why player
like Janowicz injured in accident should be paid
for the season by his club almost everyone agreed that vc
case made the players injury conscious and
idea of union
THE RAMS WERE CASTIGATED for importing small
army OF players to training camp and wasting their
without any compensation
season will be week shorter season. was freely
predicted tonight that the squads will be smaller during the
conditioning period
What 1t means, said club Official not wishing to put
himself on record, lis that lot Of guys who took weeks
vacation trying out for the won't get to camp
"You know how coach or friend of the owner calls
up and says he knows good kid overlooked in the
draft and would Ike TO trial always took those bows
10 camp Tor week and years later you'd hear them
saying they with this or that one They won't
be able 70 say that anymore We just to AFFORD
IT,"
EVERYBODY SEEMED TO AGREE that players especially
rockies who married and have children are entitled To
compensation for time spent in training camp when
ihey don't make the grade Several owners have made II
practice to reimburse them privately Others take the view
point that every player who camp single married
knows ne is gambling future and that he runs the
risk of losing months pay
II won't be too hard to give the boys something an
oea said Cut the size Of the squad some OF the fancy
touches we've always had for the boys won't make
much difference II that's the they unonzed
football. Ike underwear, seems here TO stay.