Welcome to a very special edition of the Edge of Sports podcast. I'm Dave Ziron. This week is, of course, Super Bowl Week. I'm recording this on Friday, February 5th. And we are talking to the executive director of the NFL Players Association, DeMora Smith. So glad to have him on the line. So D. Smith, who do you like in the big game?

Look, I'll be honest, though. I haven't had a chance to talk about it too much from that perspective.

But, you know, both of these quarterbacks during their career have stepped up for their union.

And Tom was a union rep.

And you remember a lead plaintiff when we sued the league when we got locked out.

Patrick Mahomes' dad went through the baseball strike.

And he's been, he's probably the, the youngest quarterback to ever be a

player's rep, um, that I can remember. So, you know, I look, I dig what they can do on, on TV.

But, um, having a game where I can look down and watch, uh, you know, a bunch of guys on both

teams have a history of standing up for their union.

I really dig that.

That's so cool.

I did not know that about Patrick Mahomes.

I'm so glad you got to share that.

So, Dee, this has been a season like no other.

What, what's been the greatest challenge

that you and the union have faced?

Just the enormity of the moral and practical questions

about operating NFL football in a pandemic.

I know everybody kind of focuses on the protocols and compliance with the protocols.

The real toughest question at the beginning of this, for me, was whether we should be playing football at all in a pandemic.

And it's a little bit easier now.

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