Former Minnesota Vikings running back and longtime player rep Robert Smith said Bryant Gumbel is showing desperation and jealousy in his criticisms of union chief Gene Upshaw, Sports Illustrated reported Wednesday.

"Bryant Gumbel has fallen in recent times,'' Smith told Sports Illustrated. "He's desperate to have a respected, national voice again, but the problem is a lot of people aren't listening anymore. So you've got to say something like that to get attention for yourself. But he's misinformed.

"To me, this is Gumbel's Dan Rather-type mistake. He's someone who has been around for a while and has some credibility, but who wants to believe a certain perception. I believe part of it with Gumbel is that Gene is a much more powerful black man than he is. And he's jealous of Gene's power and position. I think Gumbel's even jealous of where his former [NBC's Today] co-host Katie Couric is, and how she's moved on to a more powerful position and he still hasn't.''

Troy Vincent, the NFLPA president and Buffalo Bills safety, called Gumbel’s comments “inappropriate” and “detrimental” on Tuesday.

“He’s entitled to speak his mind ... and he felt that was his forum to do so,” Vincent said Tuesday after a Bills training camp practice in suburban Rochester. “But I just thought the timing of things, there’s too many good things going on — we just announced a new commissioner — in our sport to have these kind of blemishes.”

Gumbel created a stir during his closing remarks on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” last week when he suggested that outgoing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue should show his successor, Roger Goodell, “where he keeps Gene Upshaw’s leash.” Gumbel then referred to Upshaw as a “docile head of the players union” and the commissioner’s “personal pet,” who maintains labor peace at the expense of his members.

Tagliabue responded Monday, calling Gumbel’s comments “uninformed” and “inexcusable.” Tagliabue also warned Gumbel’s status as an NFL Network play-by-play broadcaster this season is in jeopardy and will be determined by Goodell and Steve Bornstein, who runs the league’s in-house network.

Upshaw has declined comment.

"When you look at the issues and the recent round of CBA negotiations and what actually happened, ask the owners if they have Gene on a leash or if they control Gene. Ask them if they're happy with the CBA agreement and Gene's subservience," said Smith, who retired in 2001 but still volunteers on the NFLPA's card committee, which regulates and disciplines agents.

"How many owners have come out and said they got the worse end of the deal? When you know the truth about something and you hear the opposite enough times, it really grates on you. That's where I'm at."

"Everybody wants to focus on the NFL not having guaranteed contracts. But the truth is, if contracts were guaranteed, owners would make them a lot shorter and the dollars would go down. People mistakenly think the structure of current deals would carry over to those deals, but there's no way they would.''

Smith scoffs at the notion that Upshaw is in the pocket of Tagliabue and NFL owners, SI reported.

"It bothers me that that perception is still out there, even if it's a small number of people,'' Smith said. "Even when [Vikings center] Matt Birk comes out and says what he said [criticizing Upshaw before a CBA deal was struck in March], those are dangerous voices because they're recognized as being intelligent voices. But they're still uninformed regarding the issues.

"And a Bryant Gumbel, when he puts himself out there like that, to admit you're wrong, it's the worst of all fates for people like that. They're not going to do it, because they need to feel power, and to feel like they're still heard. I really wonder how much of this is a racial thing, and about somebody losing some power.''

Vincent said Gumbel’s comments were detrimental to both Upshaw and team owners, who have worked closely together in helping establish the NFL as the nation’s premier sport.

Noting Gumbel is familiar with both Tagliabue and Upshaw, Vincent said the broadcaster should have shared his views with both in private or, at the very least, invited them for a discussion on his show.

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Vincent, however, noted that Gumbel’s criticisms are not new and have been made previously by others.

“Was it a wise choice of words? He made no different comments than what other people have said in the past,” Vincent said. “Obviously, he felt like he didn’t cross the line. Many others felt like he did. So for me to say he crossed the line, to his point, no.”

Added Vincent: “That’s a personal choice because he made the conscious effort to make those comments. Obviously, those comments were on his heart and we speak what’s on our heart.”

Robert Smith said Upshaw did an excellent job in the recent collective-bargaining negotiations.

"The consensus is that Gene had his finest hour in the last CBA negotiations,'' Robert Smith told SI. "But when you have loudmouths like [ESPN analyst] Stephen A. Smith and Gumbel going off like they have -- and Smith has said, 'Gene Upshaw should be fired, and he's a crook' -- that perception stays out there and starts to leak into players' minds. And it can be damaging. I know, because I was a player once and I was against Gene and felt like he wasn't doing the job. But I was converted. Those are your most powerful allies, the ones who used to be against you and have been brought around to see a different viewpoint.''

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