Marcus Allen's Free Agency Paved The Way For Today's NFL Players | Maintaining With Tyrus
Legendary NFL running back Marcus Allen spoke to OutKick's Tyrus about his impact on free agents and the open opportunities players get in the modern era based on Allen's actions.
LOS ANGELES - Raiders running back Marcus Allen prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins on August 19, 1984. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)
Marcus Allen sued the NFL in 1991 over its restrictive free agency approach, frustrated by the limitation on players' ability to negotiate fair market value.
"I was one of the four named plaintiffs to sue the league for free agency the guys are benefiting from today," Allen told Tyrus during a sit-down before Super Bowl LIX.
When Allen’s contract expired with the Raiders in 1988, the ex-MVP, unwilling to accept their refusal to renegotiate, resisted playing under the league’s stringent method of controlling players.
In today’s NFL free agency era, players openly assert their demands before signing new contracts, a trend influenced by Allen.
Allen said, "I was one of those guys that were sort of threatened if I went through with it. But I felt like, you know, it was necessary and you have to take a stand at some point, you know what I mean?
"Especially if you knew something was right, though, because there were all the other industries in the world once or contract or bricks fired, you could go to another company or the highest bidder."
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE:
Legendary Running Back Marcus Allen Reflects On Life After Football | Maintaining w/ Tyrus
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