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Negotiation Warriors, Episode #016 - THE CBA NEGOTIATOR with Jeff Pash

For more than four decades, Jeff Pash helped shape the business and labor framework of the National Football League.

As the NFL’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Pash served as one of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s closest advisors and played a leadership role in some of the most consequential negotiations in professional sports—including two landmark collective bargaining agreements governing more than $100 billion in league revenues and player compensation.

Those agreements helped establish the foundation for what could ultimately become 20 years of NFL labor peace, during a period of extraordinary growth in league revenues, player salaries and benefits.

It is rare to have an interview with Jeff Pash. In this special episode of Negotiation Warriors, he takes us inside the preparation, strategy and decision-making behind negotiations at the highest level of professional sports.

In this episode, Jeff discusses:

• His remarkable 40-year career in professional sports
• Building consensus among 32 NFL clubs
• Why the CBA is critical to the NFL’s success
• Preparing four years in advance for the 2011 CBA
• The keys to nearly 20 years of NFL labor peace
• Negotiating the NFL’s rookie compensation system
• Why great opponents can make you a better negotiator
• How listening and compromise lead to better outcomes
• Why the NFL preferred face-to-face negotiations
• Staying calm and respectful under pressure
• Lessons from the NFL for college athletics
• Why great negotiators keep ego out of the deal

Throughout the conversation, Pash provides a rare look behind the scenes at negotiations involving billions of dollars, 32 NFL clubs, thousands of players and the future of the game.

And when asked what he believes is one of the most important lessons for any negotiator, his answer is remarkably simple:

“It’s not about you.”

🎙️ Negotiation Warriors — conversations with the greatest negotiators in professional sports.

Hosted by Cliff Stein
Former Chicago Bears SVP & General Counsel | NFL Contract Negotiator | Sports Attorney | Negotiation Strategist