R. Berthelsen's Appointment Announced by Union

The NFL Players Association confirmed the appointment of Richard Berthelsen as interim executive director earlier today. The union announced Berthelsen's elevation from general counsel.

Berthelsen was Gene Upshaw's longtime top lieutenant.

Several players familiar with the inner workings of the union said today they don't expect a more permanent successor to be named until the union's annual meeting in March. It is not known whether Berthelsen will be a candidate. The top candidates are thought to be former players Troy Vincent, Trace Armstrong and Robert Smith.

Another strong candidate could be Doug Allen, a former top union official who left to become the executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild.

Powerful agent Tom Condon perhaps could be a candidate if he would want the job. He would have to leave behind his lucrative representation practice. Condon is a former NFL player whose clients included Upshaw.

One person who might have been a candidate, but probably won't be now, is Mark Murphy, the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers. Murphy was very active in union matters as a player with the Washington Redskins. He worked for the union after retiring as a player and graduated from Georgetown University's law school, then became a practicing labor attorney with a D.C. firm. He had a four-year stint at the U.S. Department of Justice before going to work as a collegiate athletic director at Colgate and then Northwestern. Now that he's been hired by the Packers, however, he probably is out of the running. He now serves on the owners' bargaining committee.

By Mark Maske |  August 21, 2008; 10:42 PM ET  | Category:  Upshaw
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