The players on the Buffalo Bills roster became the latest NFL team to vote to decertify the Player's Union this evening. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith was in town and attended the vote, which Bills union rep George Wilson said was unanimous.
Smith joined the Howard Simon Show this morning on local sports radio station WGR 550 to explain the union's stance. The entire interview can be heard here.
In his conversation with media following the vote, Wilson also said that he is "100% convinced" there will be a lockout in 2011.
Decertification would strip the union of its collective bargaining rights on behalf of the players. Because antitrust laws exempt NFL owners from being sued by unions, decertification would eliminate the union and allow players to sue the NFL if there is a lockout.
The last time the NFLPA decertified was in 1989, when they were seeking free agency. The union returned following the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement in 1993.
Other teams to vote for decertification are the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins.