NFL Player Representatives Vote, 27-1, to Put Strike Issue on Ballot in Spring

National Football League players decided Friday at their convention here to take a strike authorization vote soon.

The board of player representatives voted, 27-1, to put the strike issue on the ballot during the NFL’s 28 minicamps this spring.

Gene Upshaw, executive director, said that if negotiations with the owners break down, yes votes from two-thirds of the NFL Players Assn.’s 1,600 dues-paying members would authorize the players to walk out in September.

Pro Football Notes Some players involved in union activities this week are worried about owner retribution when they return home, NFLPA President Marvin Powell said. “The other side is very much aware of who’s here,” he added. . . . Gene Upshaw, sensitive to criticism that the union’s demands on ownership this time are too modest, said: “We aren’t asking for the world. We’ve just asked for what’s important. We want our fair share.” . . . Ed Garvey, former executive director, got a standing ovation from the players after a speech Friday. . . . Powell, who said he had his head in the sand when he was fighting Garvey a decade ago, estimated that 15% of the players “still refuse to look at the issues.” Powell today on Garvey: “He was the most important figure in the evolution of the NFLPA.” . . . Brian Holloway of the New England Patriots said that his celebrity-item auction raised $70,000 this winter for the Challenger space-ship memorial. . . . More former players have returned for the convention this week than in any other year. And in Holloway’s view, they’ve been an inspiration. “The young players see them limping down the hall, they see the hidden costs of the game,” Holloway said. “They see the price they paid for (the benefits) they have today. The pain we’re feeling now . . . will stick with us.”