Zero2Cool
13 years ago
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/26/drew-brees-owners-saw-gene-upshaws-death-as-an-opportunity/ 

As one of the named plaintiffs in the players’ lawsuit against the owners, Saints quarterback Drew Brees has closely monitored the labor situation. And he traces the current problems to the day the former head of the NFL Players’ Association died.

But Brees doesn’t believe the problem is that Gene Upshaw’s death left the players without a leader. Instead, Brees says the owners perceived that the players were left without a leader, and they thought they could cash in on Upshaw’s passing.

“Ever since Gene Upshaw passed away — I’m just going to lay it all out there — the owners saw blood in the water,” Brees told Jim Trotter of SI.com. “They felt like, ‘This is our opportunity to take a significant piece of the [financial] pie back at all costs, a piece that we will never have to give back again. This is our chance, while they don’t have leadership, while they’re scrambling to find a new executive director. This is our time.’”

It’s incredibly distasteful to think about the owners celebrating the death of a Pro Football Hall of Famer who is one of the most significant figures in NFL history, but Brees believes that that’s how the owners viewed Upshaw’s death: A time when the players weren’t prepared to do anything other than accept what they were offered.

“Their philosophy was, We’re going to give you a very subpar deal, a slap-in-the-face deal, and hope that you’ll accept it because hopefully we’ve intimidated you enough into thinking that this is a take-it-or-leave-it deal, and you’re just going to succumb to the pressure,” Brees said. “Well, guess what. We’re a lot more informed and educated than in the past, and we’re much better businessmen than you think and we’re going to stand up for what is right and what is fair. Fifty-fifty is fair. It’s been fair for the last 20 years and I think the game has done pretty well over the last 20 years. I think franchise values have gone up at a pretty good rate over the last 20 years. So you can’t sit here and tell me that the system is broken.”

The players wanted to keep playing under the deal they negotiated under Upshaw’s leadership, and now that the owners have opted out of that deal, Brees says the players remain united.

“This fight was brought to us, and we feel like we were backed into a corner,” Brees said. “We’re trying to fight our way out of it.”

Michael David Smith wrote:




I lost a little respect for Drew Brees.
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Zero2Cool
13 years ago
I wonder how much faster things would go along if the Players and Owners spent more time at the negotiating table, rather than jawing in front of a microphone.

The longer this goes, the more I struggle with the notion of continuing to pay for NFL Sunday Ticket.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member
13 years ago
Drew is entitled to his opinion no matter how stupid it may be. If he wants to show his ignorance I suppose he can. I would have preferred that he kept it to himself.
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Zero2Cool
13 years ago

Drew is entitled to his opinion no matter how stupid it may be. If he wants to show his ignorance I suppose he can. I would have preferred that he kept it to himself.

Originally Posted by: wpr 



That is true about him being entitled to his opinion and was never said otherwise. It's just a bit disheartening reading all of these comments when I personally feel they should be working out a deal to split up 8-9billion dollars instead.
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Nonstopdrivel
13 years ago
That men can talk like little girls about being "slapped in the face" when they are making mind-blowing sums of money will never cease to amaze me.

People like to say that these players are worth whatever the market is willing to bear. They forget that there is only one credible market for these players: the NFL itself. If the market is no longer willing to pay them the extraordinary sums to which they have become accustomed, they are no longer worth that much. It is as simple as that.
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Greg C.
13 years ago
It's pretty distasteful for Brees to make that accusation without a shred of evidence. And he's supposed to be one of the SMART players.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member
13 years ago

That is true about him being entitled to his opinion and was never said otherwise. It's just a bit disheartening reading all of these comments when I personally feel they should be working out a deal to split up 8-9billion dollars instead.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 




Zero I was not firing on you. I knew what you meant. It is disheartening. This all should have been settled before the lockout date was reached.
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Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : WR who said he'd break Xavier Worthy 40 time...and ran slower than you
Mucky Tundra (2-Apr) : Who?
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : Texas’ WR Isaiah Bond is scheduled to visit the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Falcons, Packers and Titans starting next week.
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : Spotting ball isn't changing, only measuring distance is, Which wasn't the issue.
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : The spotting of the ball IS the issue. Not the chain gang.
Mucky Tundra (2-Apr) : Will there be a tracker on the ball or something?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : uh oh
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : Too bad camera's can't spot the ball as well.
Mucky Tundra (1-Apr) : So will the chain gang be gone completely or will they still be around as a backup or whatever?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : The method for measuring first downs in the NFL will switch from chain gangs to camera-based technology in 2025, the league announced.
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : A big step in the right direction. Just put in the college system is very very good.
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : NFL has passed a rule that allows both teams to possess the ball in OT during the regular season
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : Touchbacks on kickoffs will now bring the ball to the 35-yard line.
beast (31-Mar) : It might of gotten more popular recently, but braiding hair (even men) in certain cultures goes back for centuries.
Martha Careful (30-Mar) : Is men braiding their hair a new style thing? Watching the NCAA men's tournament many players have done
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Ha. Well, it'd be nice for folks to reset their own password. Via validated email 😏
beast (29-Mar) : Monopoly was supposed to be an educational game, that show how evil capitalism was and how we should avoid it
beast (29-Mar) : Lol, I was thinking username would be better, as then I wouldn't have to keep an email up to date lol 😂
beast (29-Mar) : Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (29-Mar) : sure is
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Monopoly is a rip off of The Landlord's Game
wpr (27-Mar) : 28 days until the draft
earthquake (27-Mar) : Which seemed strange to my 9 year old self, that you could be a fan for a team other than the one you play for
earthquake (27-Mar) : Nothing eventful happened, other than it being clear that he was a bengals fan
earthquake (27-Mar) : And we went and hung out with him one afternoon, I must have been 9 or so
earthquake (27-Mar) : That’s wild, when I was a kid my friend lived in the same apartment complex in De Pere
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : Only career highspot was a 200 yard rushing game while playing for the Cardinals
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : He is a former Packer. Drafted out of Northern Illinois. Didn't do much in GB.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Despicable
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Former NFL. I think Packers too
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : NFL RB Leshon Johnson has been charged in a massive dog fighting operation, with the FBI seizing over 190 Pit Bulls
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Some real irony of a QB as short as Wilson playing for the Giants
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Giants country, let's be the tall beings of lore!
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Russell Wilson signs with the Giants.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (25-Mar) : I don't think there is a significant difference. I use a user name for many. Others email.
Martha Careful (25-Mar) : email
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : would it be better to use EMAIL or USERNAME to log into a site?
wpr (25-Mar) : Thanks Zero
Zero2Cool (24-Mar) : New forum has the ability to Thank a post now.
beast (24-Mar) : And the only time they have won the Championship in an even year, was the first time they did, in 2006.
beast (24-Mar) : Since 2007, there have been 10 odd numbered years, Wisconsin Women have won the Championship in 7 of those 10 odd numbered years.
buckeyepackfan (24-Mar) : Congratulations Lady Badger Hockey Team. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!
Zero2Cool (23-Mar) : I don't think it's completed yet. it was just announced last month, right?
dhazer (23-Mar) : did netflix ever release the Packers documentary
Zero2Cool (21-Mar) : And it is glorious!
beast (21-Mar) : Unsigned FA QB Rodgers is supposedly in the Steelers building
Martha Careful (19-Mar) : But I don't own a car! So can I still use it in my apartment?
Zero2Cool (19-Mar) : btw, new site auto updates
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