Drew Brees says he won't sit out the season, as negotiations drag on

Drew Brees made the media rounds Tuesday with appearances on five different radio and television programs, receiving countless questions about the NFL's bounty investigation and his contract negotiations with the New Orleans Saints. Throughout the day, Brees hammered home two central messages: He thinks the league's findings were a foregone conclusion, and he'll be on the field for the Saints sometime this season.

"I would never sit out a football season," Brees said in an interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines." "I love the game too much. I love my team too much. But obviously, there's a lot that can happen between now and then."

Brees, an All-Pro quarterback, has until July 16 to sign a contract extension with the Saints or be forced to play under the team's one-year franchise offer of around $16.3 million. He could also decide to sit out some or all of next season.

Brees said that while discussions improved during the past month, he and the Saints are still negotiating some of the contract's smaller details.

"Why do contract negotiations take this long anyway?" Brees asked on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning." "It should be a much more simple process than it is. Certainly, it comes down to certain provisions of the contract. There are little things here and there that take time to resolve."

On "The Dan Patrick Show," Brees said that he hasn't made it a goal to ensure a contract that would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

"The numbers will be there," Brees said. "That's not my motivation. My motivation is not to be the highest-paid guy or to have that label, even though that might be the case, because that's not what's important to me. What's important to me is that it's just and fair because it's in line with my resume and where I feel like I stand with the other quarterbacks in the league."

Brees said that he's not yet worried about what will happen if an agreement isn't in place by training camp, which opens July 27.

"You know what? That's about a month and a half away, so a lot of time between then and now," he said. "I'm just working on getting something done."

Questions investigation

Though Brees gave little indication of when a deal might be completed, he had a much more definitive reaction to the NFL's investigation into whether the Saints ran a pay-for-performance/bounty program during former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg William's tenure from 2009-11. Brees, the 2010 Super Bowl MVP, said he thinks NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell predetermined the investigation's outcome in the league's favor.

"It's been very disappointing," Brees said. "It's been embarrassing, not just for the league but for all of us who are[..]ociated with the league. This is a black eye, regardless of, at this point, whether the investigation shows guys are innocent. ... I think it becomes more and more clear that the NFL had a predetermined conclusion that they wanted the investigation to turn up."

Coach Sean Payton and Williams have said little since the NFL handed down suspensions to current and former Saints players and coaches. Brees said the reason the coaches involved have not rushed to the players' defense is that the coaches fear further repercussions from the league. Payton received a season-long suspension, Williams is suspended indefinitely, and interim Coach Joe Vitt will sit out the first eight games.

"Have I been told that some of the statements that were supposedly released have been said by the coaches were actually statements that were actually drawn up and manufactured by the NFL and then basically put out there as their words?" Brees asked. "Yes. If that's the case, that's unfortunate. It makes them sound like they're trying to manufacture something, fabricate it or hide the truth and the facts.

"To this point, none of us have seen any proof that would justify the punishment or show that there was indeed a pay-to-injure scheme going on. I think they've tried to confuse the issue by combining pay-to-injure with pay-for-performance, which are obviously two very different things. These are heinous accusations."

The NFL quickly rebuked Brees' criticisms Tuesday with a statement emailed through spokesman Greg Aiello.

"We completely disagree," Aiello wrote. "The evidence is overwhelming that the Saints conducted a prohibited pay-for-performance/bounty program for three seasons that offered rewards to players if an opponent was "carted off" or "knocked out" with an injury. The investigation was thorough and includes statements from multiple sources with firsthand knowledge about the details of the program, corroborating documentation and other evidence.

"The enforcement of the bounty rule is important to protect players that are put at risk by this kind of scheme. Certainly, Drew Brees would not want to be the target in a bounty scheme, and that is why we must eliminate bounties from football."

Still awaiting rulings

Players facing suspension include Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (one season), defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove (eight games), Saints defensive end Will Smith (four games) and linebacker Scott Fujita (three games). Hargrove and Fujita now play for the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns respectively but were with the Saints for the 2009 season.

"Players like Scott Fujita, Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith; these guys are great guys, great teammates, great men, and they're just completely getting thrown under the bus, their reputations tarnished, careers threatened," Brees said. "You better make sure that you have some reliable evidence that shows that they were indeed engaged in these types of activities."

The players are still waiting for Goodell to rule on an appeals hearing that the league conducted June 18 in New York. Aiello said that the NFL has no timetable for releasing a decision.

Vilma has already filed a defamation suit against Goodell in the Eastern District Court of Louisiana, and his attorneys have until July 5 to file a response. If Goodell does not overturn the players' previous suspensions in his appeals decision, more suits against the commissioner likely will follow Vilma's, seeking an injunction against the penalties.

Brees has his own league issues to work through. He and the NFLPA have scheduled an arbitration hearing today in Philadelphia to get a ruling on Brees' franchise tag status.

Brees has received the exclusive franchise tag twice -- once with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 and once with the Saints in March. The dispute centers on whether the new collective bargaining agreement dictates Brees should receive a 20 percent pay raise or a 44 percent raise if he is designated as the Saints' franchise player again next year.

The Saints and the NFL argue that because New Orleans has only placed the franchise tag on Brees once, he should receive a 20 percent raise, while the NFLPA believes that since next year's designation would be his third in total, he should receive a 44 percent raise. The difference between the two figures is nearly $4 million.

Drew Brees says he won't sit out the season, as negotiations drag on - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com

Breesus sounds motivated, and pissed off...Don't!!off Brees, he'll throw for 6,000+ this year if Goodell keeps up his bull!!. [pic]

!! him [pic]

!! Slush [pic]

[pic][pic]

Don't worry bro, The Falcons wouldn't win the division with or without Brees being a no-show. Sorry. [pic]

He aint bout that life *Revis voice

[pic] we'll see about that

Just pay the man, Damn.

...Whatever You Say, Two Points. [pic]

Pretty much said this before. Brees and that current Saints team are pretty much New Orleans' heroes on and off the field, and a classy guy like him wouldn't hurt the city by a greedy move.

fk the hornets pay brees

I knew he would back down [pic]

He Should Retire ..........He had a Good Run