The NFL lockout appears to still be on track to meet its end this week. In fact, check out this Albert Breer of NFL.com appears to be at his most optimistic. Check out this tweet on his Twitter account:
Lawyers and staff are working into the early evening here in NYC, with the goal of having a completed draft to present to players tomorrow.
Awesome! This is fantastic. And certainly makes the timeline of this deal being finalized on Friday seem a reality. The day was not without its drama though. There were reports that some of the players named in the antitrust suit wanted special treatment. Jump over for the goods....
The reports seem to focus in on Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson. The thought was that all of these guys wanted to avoid being slapped with the franchise tag. Upon hearing this news Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe felt the need to get his idiot kicker on via Twitter:
"Sigh, and once again greed is the operative byword. 'Congrats Brees, Manning, Mankins, and Jackson for being 'that guy'. #douche bags,"
I'd have no problem with Kluwe saying this if he knew it to be true, but I think it is just as likely this was being pushed for or brought up by the lawyers and not the players. Whatever the case, it doesn't appear to be an issue as the player's don't appear set on sticking to this.
Greg Bedard's Twitter:
Heard from a source that Jackson, Manning and Brees have softened their stances privately after backlash. Unclear on Mankins.
Brees immediately went into spin control on his Twitter account Tuesday night.
"I hesitate to even dignify the false media reports with a response, but obviously they are leading people astray.
"I want no special perks. My job is to get a fair deal for all players, and I am proud to represent them all - past, present and future. All media claims about me wanting a personal reward for this deal are false. I hope you all know me better than that."
Even if these reports were true, I can't imagine any of these players holding up the process. Life would be miserable for them when they returned, and probably downright dangerous on the field.