Gene Upshaw Players Quotations

Many of those players would have been cut anyway.

I wouldn't want to see that. I wouldn't recommend players doing their own deals. You're sitting across the table from a general manager that's negotiated thousands of contracts.

I think both sides better get prepared where there is no deal, ... I told our staff Monday that's what we have to communicate to the players -- what direction we're going -- and right now it looks like an uncapped year. We can't accept what they have on the table.

I won't come down. The players know that. Only the owners can make a proposal.

The players have worked very hard to make this game the best in the world. The players are committed to ensuring that the game of football remains on the field and not in the courtroom.

I've been to 32 teams, and all the players understand where we are. They're saying, 'Bring on the uncapped year.

There obviously will not be a cap beyond 2006. So if anyone expects me to make a deal to sell the players on making less money, I'm not going to do that.

They've taken the concept of designated gross revenue and changed it to total football revenue and basically come up with the same amount they're paying the players now, ... They have not made a proposal to us since we started this whole process. All they say is, 'We reject whatever you want.' Then they say what we want is too much. . . . Once we get to March 2006, when the league calendar starts, as far as we're concerned there's no need to make a deal. If that's what they want, we'll go there too.