When Chester Pitts heard the words come from a quarterback who might enter the Hall of Fame one day, a large knot formed in his gut. He couldn't believe what Kurt Warner said. He just couldn't believe it. Warner, in an interview with USA Today, said in effect that the players should begin to stand down now in this brutal labor dispute because eventually they'll have to give in anyway. "I'm still optimistic that they're going to find a way to make sure there's football," Warner said. "The players have too much to lose. And as much as I hate to say it, at some point, the players have to give in. And, hopefully, they can gain some other things on their side." "There were a lot of players I spoke to who were stunned by what he said," said Pitts, the Seattle Seahawks' veteran offensive guard. "I was disappointed. Disappointed is a good word, but disheartening is a better word. "What makes this country great is everyone is entitled to their opinion. Not all the players are in lockstep. We have disagreements, but it's disingenuous for Kurt to say those things now that he's retired and wealthy. Not every player is wealthy, and certainly not every retired player has a lot of money." On Roger Goodell, commissioner: "I think he tends to be tone deaf. He doesn't understand players." On the NFL owners: "Their main strategy is to delay as long as they can and hope we run out of money. They have no real interest in negotiating right now no matter what they say publicly." On quarterback Drew Brees: "His leadership is amazing. Drew doesn't have to do what he's doing, but he's doing it because it's the right thing. He has a lot of guts." On what he thinks the fight is all about: "If corporate America can crush thousands of professional athletes, what chance does an average employee have?" Then Pitts delivered this: "There's this perception that the players should capitulate now. We're not suddenly going to start begging the owners. We understand what's at stake just like the owners do. Some of the owners underestimate us. There is far more resolve among the player base than the owners know." Resolve won't thin, players say, until game checks are missed, and game checks wouldn't theoretically be missed until September but in the meantime, they say the plan is to fight like hell. Source: CBS Sports
Everyone is always bashing on the owners, and rightfully so. But the players are no better. This is a classic example of the "woe is me" attitude that players keep using. Not wealthy? Are you kidding me? I wonder if DeMaurice Smith trained him to say that.
Some of the players aren't wealthy because they are too stupid to manage their money and the spend it frivolously. There shouldn't be anyone in this whole CBA mess that us crying poor.
