DeSean's questionable appearance on NFL Network
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
DeSean's questionable appearance on NFL Network
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Imagine that you are in the middle of a bitter separation from -- for the sake of this argument -- your husband.
He's the breadwinner and he's grown tired of splitting the family earnings in half. You're a stay-at-home mother of three and you believe that your value to the clan is equal to that of your full-time employed husband. You're happy with the 50-50 split that was agreed upon when you gave up your job to raise the kids.
The kids, naturally, side with Mom.
For the first few weeks of the separation, husband and wife carp about the other to family and friends. Both sides then deliver their arguments to a neutral group of friends. The neutral group is responsible for informing anyone else in the exact details of said separation.
The kids, meanwhile, start to speak out in support of you. Because you, after all, feed, bathe and clothe them. They believe you act in their best interest. You believe this unified front will crack Dad, who misses the kids, even though they drain his bank account.
But kids are kids and they miss Dad's attention, especially the divaesque youngest daughter. And she wants a new pair of shoes. The pair she has are worn-out Ugg ripoffs. Dad told her that if she did well on her next report card he would buy her real Uggs. She gets all As and Bs, but her attendance isn't great and she shies away from going across the middle.
Nevertheless, she's done enough to earn those Uggs. But Dad's out of the picture and you don't have enough money to buy your youngest daughter much of anything. She silently seethes. She wants those Uggs.
So she makes a few appearances at the houses of your family and friends. Everyone is happy to see your youngest daughter. She's entertaining. But she wants those Uggs. She doesn't straight out ask for the Uggs because, well, they're expensive. But it is understood. Plus, how could showing your face at Grandma's and Grandpa's hurt? It's good exposure.
(Please indulge me further.)
But Dad's family and friends miss the kids, especially Aunt Nettie. She's the blabber mouth of that side of the family, but a lot people seem to listen to her. In her eyes, Dad could do no wrong. Even when he lies or stretches the truth, Aunt Nettie is the first to defend him. Of course, he also happens to pay her bills.
But Aunt Nettie misses her nieces and nephew, especially the youngest. So she contacts the divaesque youngest daughter and asks her stop on by the house. Your youngest daughter thinks, "What could it hurt? Sure Dad owns Aunt Nettie, but an appearance at her house could further my get-new-Uggs cause!"
You find out your youngest daughter is scheduled to visit Aunt Nettie and you are not happy. Aunt Nettie, after all, is Dad's public relations arm. She is financed by Dad and thus biased. And an appearance by your daughter at Aunt Nettie's could boost Dad's ratings (hang in with me here) and thus his profit.
But, your youngest daughter thinks, "I want me some new Uggs."
If you've made it this far, you probably get the metaphor. On Wednesday, NFL Network's public relations department sent out a press release that Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was set to appear on NFL Total Access on Monday at 7 p.m.
Jackson isn't the only player set to appear on the league's Network. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez will be on Total Access on Tuesday. Colts center Jeff Saturday ended three days as a guest analyst on Wednesday.
The appearances by locked out players on essentially the owners' television network has, needless to say, raised some eyebrows around the league. When I called NFL Players Association -- or what used to be the NFLPA -- spokesman George Atallah for a comment, he said he needed a half hour to formulate a comment.
I'm still waiting for his response, although I'm fairly sure the word disappointed will be in the statement. I don't have a horse in the NFL's labor dispute. I believe both sides have every right to fight for its piece of the revenue pie as long as the war/work stoppage doesn't cut into the season. Then they're just a bunch of Gordon Gekkos.
But the decision by Jackson and other players to appear on NFL Network suggests that perhaps the union -- or trade association, as it is now known -- isn't as strong as once believed.
Jackson wants a new contract. This is no secret. He has one year left on the four-year deal he signed as a rookie. I think everyone can agree that his $550,000 salary for next season is at a bargain. Some may say he should play out his contract, but there are a number of reasons to side with the lithe Jackson, who is always just one hit away from the end of his career.
It's hard to ascertain if Jackson would have had an extension by now if there was a new collective bargaining agreement. The Eagles have assured their star receiver that he will be compensated, but Eagles coach Andy Reid was rather nonchalant about the issue when he was asked to address it at the owners meetings last week.
"We’d have to talk about that," he said. "We’d have to look at that. That’s a 'what if.' I'm not into the ‘what ifs.’ There are a lot of things that go into that that you have to look at."
If and when there is a new CBA, it'll be interesting to see how Jackson and his agent Drew Rosenhaus approach negotiations with the Eagles. If they are looking to break the bank and be paid in line with the top two or three receivers they could be in for a fight. They, of course, could counter by holding out.
To no surprise, Rosenhaus did not immediately respond to a request for comment concerning his client's appearance on NFL Network. Rosenhaus has been one of the more outspoken agents -- understandably, he has the most to lose -- against the owners' stance in negotiations. So it would be interesting to get his take.
Perhaps Jackson going on NFL Network is much ado about nothing. But I'm not sure some of the hard-liners among the players feel that way.
pay the man.— FlyestShowOnIce- WTF????— shawnmac
- Huh, maybe I need another glass of wine...— M60tanker
Hey Jeff don't quit your day job, article sucked.— Flyboy24- I'm surprised the fishing line didn't snap— MFPhils
- Please tell me that you're being ironic and are aware that this is, in fact, his day job.— DCSS215
- I wouldn't buy my daughter those shoes either! arguably the ugliest shoe out there.the creator should've named them fugglies or even better, fuggs! as far as Desean goes he has an awfully big mouth for a little man.Maclin will be the better receiver when it's all said and done!— Geno D
- Dude that analogy went on way, WAY too long.— evolutionary
- Agreed! — phigglesfan75
- what the hell just happened???— bboybeballin
- McLane, you are a piece of dung.— soulman386
- lost me...— fire fighter
The only thing I can surmise is that McClane gets paid by the word. What a useless, way-too-long analogy. It took at least half of the post and didn't add anything to the actual story.— Mabus- If you have nothing intelligent, say nothing.— The Dutchman
- Baseball please.— Joe at the shore
- I guess I'm not alone trying to figure out what I just speed read through.— Joe at the shore
- I skipped to the end. Had to.
- omg, that story was interminable. and the payoff questionable. jeez!
- terrible— hueyd
Comment removed.- absolutely the most poorly written article ever...— erbower
What..is there an Editor's holiday today?— wfs0868- Terrible article. Serioulsy, I majored in English Literature and gave up on this one 2 paragraphs in.— B-Rooster
- Unintelligible. This article read like the Unabomber Mainfesto...— RockStar
- I couldn't get through it. I felt like I was reading a Gonzo article.— borntosuffer
- say what you want, anyone wants to come over here and explain to my youngest daughter why she isn't getting an ipod touch for her birthday, call up Goodell, and get this thing settled— WiffleBall
- What just happen? How did I get here?— delcodanno
- tl;dr— smiecz
- Did someone earn a paycheck (or a portion of one) for this "article"? Wow.— What Dat
- Mclane... I guess you figured you could put "DeSean" in the headline and Eagle fans would read whatever drivel you spouted? I skipped to the comments section immediately as I knew that would vastly more interesting than whatever you finished with. You did eventually finish, right?— eaglefaninexile
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- The writer had some fun with this. Attention spans being what they are and the internet being what it is, the comments posted here insulting the writer should certainly surprise no one.— MacMike
- Not sure if it's an ad or if it's the pic for this article, but wtf do Uggs have to do with this article. Football, Dad, Aunt Nettie, wide receiver, lockout, Uggs?— Jonathan Akbar
- What has Desean Jackson done that precludes him from NOT getting an extension and raise? He hasn't gotten smaller when they drafted him, so the Eagles knew a player his size could get hurt. And he's proven the character issues were unwarranted. And nobody will forget his visit to the View to support that child that was bullied. Pay him what he deserves!— ej610
- This article was like sex. Too much foreplay and a disappointing ending.— ej610
- I mean, I guess I get it but why? Mac Mike, stop trying to act like you enjoyed reading this you fraud. Must be MikeyMiss. Anyways, DeSean should get paid, but not Fitz or Johnson money, anybody see anything wrong with like 6-7 mill/year?— beerflow
- Wow, I forgot this article was about. No DeSean, you cannot go on nfl network. silly nfl players.— beerflow
- I couldn't finish the article,— porcamiseria33
- if I am the little daughter @ 5-9 and #170, I make sure I dont make the other kids mad, specially the safeties in the family. Ugg might be what is coming out of your mouth while sprawled out looking up at the stars (during a day game).
If the players keep there mouths shut the fans will back them, however the more they talk the more I realize they don't care about the fans or their teams, only themselves. If you have it better than the rest of us dont complain about it to the fans.
Now the owners do care about the fans, especially how much of our money they can get this year, and a then little more the next.
— willbert31 - Bottom line, don't play a game of chicken with Jackson. The Man has earned a substantial raise.— Dexter
- SMH, I guess Gonzo and McLain whoever wrote this have lost their mind or need a random drug test. Desean did or did not show up at the interview on NFL network? I forgot I have a headache. I wonder how much they pay these people and if they are hiring? I can do this.— Blessed8251
- Awesome! I was just thinking to myself, "How am I going to fill all of this spare time I have?" Good thing I'm only at work.— jerry42570
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- This was pretty bad Jeff. And as far as the little egomaniac goes, can we trade him and Kolb and our first rounder to the Cardinals for Larry Fitzgerald and their pick? Would you guys do that?— blaqjaq
- Terrible article. Go Flyers.— Richard Saunders
- I forget did Desean get the uggs or not— puddin
- Sorry but this article was a waste of time.— sportsgenius99
- Painful read Mr. McC. What a revelation, that pencil-neck DJ is flippant, arrogant and way too full of self. No S... Sherlock. Cannot pay a guy that's this inconsistent and posts numbers as a #12-15 wide-out in the league. Need some speedy big guys that are easy to spot for Vick, not this diminuative runt of the litter.— jscheuer
- Dude do you own stock in FUGGS or something,or selling part time maybe?— fireman5309
- Burp. Hiccup. Pardon me. Burp. Burrrrrrrrp.— brendogs
- Trade this clown on draftday! He's GLASSMAN--hit away from being done. Doesn't go over the midl and is the quintessential "ME GUY".
NUMBER "1" WRS catch 85-100 BALLS PER YR and MOVE THE CHAINS IN THE CLUTCH! DJAX DOESN'T DO EITHER!— somertonspartan - He signed a contract...When it is time for a new contract, he and his agent can then discuss his value with the Eagles....Had he been a bust no one would have made him give any money back....
Jackson is a Great Speciality player as a Long receiver....but he also has limitations...I don't know what his worth is but that will not have to be decided until he completes the Contract HE SIGNED...— Bigmike 34 - ...so then aunt Nettie calls HER uncle Fred and asks him for boots, but Fred never liked Nettie anyway and he was too busy reading an excerpt from War and Peace that somebody dropped whole into the sports section of the paper...
I was looking for a gun to put to my head after the ninth paragraph...— CotterQB - So wait a minute, Andy got DeSean some boots and the other players got mad and called his agent to complain?— mshihadeh3
