Man in the yellow hat
Footballguy
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/sports/index.php?ntid=76040
While most of Javon Walker's current Green Bay Packers teammates were taking a keep-me-out-of-it approach to the recalcitrant wide receiver's demand for a trade, veteran fullback William Henderson and second-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't toe the company line.
"
I don't know what's going on with Javon, but I'm sure he'll be here. He better be here - if I have to get on the phone and say, 'Hey, c'mon now . . .' " Rodgers said. "I think he wants to get paid. We all want to get paid. He signed a contract though, so when it comes down to it, he'll fulfill it.
"Javon just wants what's best for him and his family, and he's a great receiver. But at the same time, he signed a contract. I don't want to comment too much. I think he'll be here. I'm going to be here, everybody under contract is going to be here, so we'll see what happens."
Henderson said he wants to talk to Walker "just as a big brother talking to a little brother" about his claim he'd rather retire than suit up for the Packers.
"I've seen many guys who asked to go elsewhere or felt this wasn't the place for them for whatever reason, and as soon as they had a chance to see what the life was like with a different team, they quickly found that those dreams and aspirations ... have fallen well short of what they already had in front of them here," Henderson said. "Basically, I would say the grass isn't always greener.
"I would just encourage (Walker) to really think about what he's doing. Don't ever burn bridges."
Barnett, the Packers' first-round draft pick in 2003, joked unlike Walker, the team's No. 1 pick in 2002, he would "like to stay here."
But Barnett said he didn't think general manager Ted Thompson would allow the Walker situation to get out of hand as cornerback Mike McKenzie's holdout did in 2003 for then-coach and GM Mike Sherman.
"With the coaching staff that we've got and Ted Thompson, I don't think it's going to be a distraction for the team. It could get ugly between those two, but we're not going to let it be a distraction," Barnett said. "We're not going to let anybody into our circle of trust. We're not going to let anybody pull us apart."
For that reason, retired general manager Ron Wolf said he believes Thompson is doing the right thing by not entertaining Walker's demands.
Thompson issued a statement Friday the team would not make "any concessions in this matter" and it expects Walker to honor his contract.
"You're always going to have disgruntled employees. I think you let time run its course," Wolf said. "As an administrator, you become an ostrich. You put your head in the sand and hopefully the whole thing passes by. If it doesn't, then you deal with it when you have to deal with it. But it's really not important right now."
While most of Javon Walker's current Green Bay Packers teammates were taking a keep-me-out-of-it approach to the recalcitrant wide receiver's demand for a trade, veteran fullback William Henderson and second-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't toe the company line.
"
I don't know what's going on with Javon, but I'm sure he'll be here. He better be here - if I have to get on the phone and say, 'Hey, c'mon now . . .' " Rodgers said. "I think he wants to get paid. We all want to get paid. He signed a contract though, so when it comes down to it, he'll fulfill it.
"Javon just wants what's best for him and his family, and he's a great receiver. But at the same time, he signed a contract. I don't want to comment too much. I think he'll be here. I'm going to be here, everybody under contract is going to be here, so we'll see what happens."
Henderson said he wants to talk to Walker "just as a big brother talking to a little brother" about his claim he'd rather retire than suit up for the Packers.
"I've seen many guys who asked to go elsewhere or felt this wasn't the place for them for whatever reason, and as soon as they had a chance to see what the life was like with a different team, they quickly found that those dreams and aspirations ... have fallen well short of what they already had in front of them here," Henderson said. "Basically, I would say the grass isn't always greener.
"I would just encourage (Walker) to really think about what he's doing. Don't ever burn bridges."
Barnett, the Packers' first-round draft pick in 2003, joked unlike Walker, the team's No. 1 pick in 2002, he would "like to stay here."
But Barnett said he didn't think general manager Ted Thompson would allow the Walker situation to get out of hand as cornerback Mike McKenzie's holdout did in 2003 for then-coach and GM Mike Sherman.
"With the coaching staff that we've got and Ted Thompson, I don't think it's going to be a distraction for the team. It could get ugly between those two, but we're not going to let it be a distraction," Barnett said. "We're not going to let anybody into our circle of trust. We're not going to let anybody pull us apart."
For that reason, retired general manager Ron Wolf said he believes Thompson is doing the right thing by not entertaining Walker's demands.
Thompson issued a statement Friday the team would not make "any concessions in this matter" and it expects Walker to honor his contract.
"You're always going to have disgruntled employees. I think you let time run its course," Wolf said. "As an administrator, you become an ostrich. You put your head in the sand and hopefully the whole thing passes by. If it doesn't, then you deal with it when you have to deal with it. But it's really not important right now."
I thought the same thing when I read the article. Why is this guy even commenting on this issue? Idiot.
