“Without referring to anybody directly, one of the problems with confrontational public negotiating is that it runs the risk of alienating a public with a median family income of $35,000. So that when a player is complaining publicly that he's only being paid $7-million a year instead of $9-million, a fan can look at that with real anger. And an owner who's challenged publicly may simply become more locked in and less apt to ever compromise.”
“[Let's say you're negotiating with a prospective employer.] What's most important to you? ... A signing bonus? Vacation? Job title? Figure that out and you'll know what you can yield on.”
“It is not in your interest to pull one over on the other side and get them to make a bad deal. You want the situation to be justifiable and reasonable while getting what you want. The two of you might be doing deals in the future.”
“Obviously Mark's been a starter since 1995 and is confident of his ability to lead a team. But he looks forward to the ability to compete for a starting job in training camp.”
“They are not getting hurt in some frivolous hobby. They are hurt applying themselves to the exact task they've been hired to do. This is a risk that ought to be shared in a fairer way.”
“Nobody wants to kill this golden goose. I don't like the salary-cap system. There's nothing I like about it except that it's a system that both sides have been able to agree upon. But that has meant that football's been able to concentrate its energies and efforts at the union and management level on developing new revenue sources and promoting the brand with the general public.”
