Bears’ Gould offers his thoughts on NFL draft

There have been strong opinions on both sides of the NFLPA’s reported plan to discourage top college players from appearing at the NFL draft on April 28.

The NFLPA, which decertified as a union last week a day before the owners locked out the players in the ongoing labor dispute, is now technically a trade association.

But it has contacted the top prospects and recommended that they not attend the televised festivities at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

Bears player representative Robbie Gould realizes that the event can be a huge occasion for the elite first-round picks, who get to walk the stage and shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell as their names are announced.

But he points out the other side of the argument.

“I do know it’s a special day,” Gould said, “but if I was a player coming into the league, I wouldn’t want to walk across the stage and shake the hand of the guy who’s locking me out.”

The lawsuit brought by players to overturn the owners’ lockout and end the first NFL work stoppage in 24 years is scheduled to be heard in court on April 6.

So the labor situation is on hold until then, although Goodell and some owners have gone on record saying they would rush back to the bargaining table at any time.

But Gould is skeptical.

“The players don’t want to be locked out,” Gould said. “They locked us out, so you (wonder), how fast do they really want to get back to the negotiating table?”

In the meantime a couple of veteran NFL players have expressed plans to organize group workouts for their teams, but nothing yet along those lines is planned for the Bears.

“Workouts are all individual at this point,” Gould said. “I think we all know that we have to work out on our own. If guys don’t work out, whenever we do come back, if you’re not in shape, you might not have a job.

“When this is over, you still have to compete for a job.”

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