Frank Bauer, the agent for New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins, who is one of the named plaintiffs in the players' antitrust suit against the NFL, responded Thursday to reports that Mankins had demanded special considerations as part of a settlement.
"I think it's realy unfair what has happened to Logan Mankins in media characterizations that he is making monetary demands or holding up a settlement," Bauer told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.
"Logan Mankins is a young man who was encouraged and solicited into a lawsuit to help the union spearhead a new agreement. Logan's main concern for entering into as a plaintiff was to see if he can become free and help other players have less restrictions. For people to say he has made monetary demands, he hasn't made any such demand. We don't know terms. We haven't talked to (NFLPA attorney) Jeff Kessler. There has been no communication, but it's irresponsible to report Logan has made monetary demands.
"Are we disappointed there has been no communication? Hugely. He trusted the union and Kessler to fight for Logan Mankins and the other players."
As part of the proposed settlement the owners will vote on, the 10 plaintiffs who attached their names to the players' antitrust lawsuit will not net any financial or tactical gains, according to sources. Bauer conceded that Mankins could reserve the option of continuing his antitrust case against the NFL.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Mankins and fellow plaintiff Vincent Jackson had demanded either free agency or $10 million in order to sign off on the deal.