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Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Wed Jul 13 01:02pm EDT

Drew Brees: ‘A deal is very close’

By Doug Farrar

Drew Brees: ‘A deal is very close’

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees(notes), who's one of the plaintiffs in the Brady v. NFL case and has been at the forefront of the labor fight on the players' side all along, brought along some very encouraging news when he went on San Diego station XX Radio 1090 to talk about the ongoing lockout talks.

On the same morning when the Brady plaintiffs released a statement through the NFLPA that "it is time to get this deal done," Brees had this to say on the radio, after confirming that a new collective bargaining agreement is "very close" in principle and that few details remain to be dealt with:

"We've taken a significant setback in overall revenue in terms of what we've offered them compared to what we were making," Brees said. "I feel like there's a fair deal there -- we all do -- and we think it's time to step up and make a deal."

"Yesterday [Tuesday], we felt like there [was] a fair deal on the table and we need to make sure everybody knows this and make sure the owners know this because the season is just around the corner," he continued, before also addressing the matter of the retired players' stake in a new CBA:

"Maybe they DO have a seat at the table. [...] I'm the second-youngest guy at the table … these are guys who going to be retired players soon [older current players at the table].

"And they're certainly looking out for those guys.

Brees, who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, has become one of the league's most community-minded and up-front labor voices in recent years. That he's ready to put that level of optimism out there with his name on it can only be a good sign.

H/T: Will Brinson of CBS Sports

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