The Bears` strongest opposition this season figures to come out of Minneapolis, where the Vikings could challenge their quest for a fifth straight Central Division championship.
But a dozen free-agent Bears already suffered a loss out of Minneapolis Monday when U.S. District Court Judge David Doty refused to allow some 284 unsigned National Football League veterans to become unrestricted free agents. ”I`ve got a contract (from the Bears) sitting on the table at home,”
said Bears defensive back Maurice Douglass before the ruling. ”I don`t want to go and play anywhere else . . . unless I can make a lot more money someplace else.”
Representatives of the NFL Players Association urged the unsigned veteran Bears and other players around the league in the same predicament to remain positive.
”Management will try to paint this as an end-all and fourth-quarter decision,” said Doug Allen, assistant executive director of the players association. ”We`re prepared to see this thing through. We received the impasse ruling (on June 17), and that confirmed the strength of our position. It is rare to win a preliminary injunction. We knew that going in.”
Nonetheless, some of the Bears were discouraged.
”It is going to be a long, drawn-out process, regardless,” said Bears quarterback Mike Tomczak via telephone from Columbus, Ohio, where he is working out on his own. ”I really didn`t know which way the decision was going to go. I don`t know what this is going to do in my contract talks with the Bears. We weren`t looking for this to be a feather in our cap, but . . . I just want to resolve this thing and play football for (Bears coach) Mike Ditka.”
”Bad news,” said Chicago-based agent Steve Zucker, who represents unsigned Bear veterans Jay Hilgenberg, Keith Van Horne and Larry Rubens.
”That surprised me. What about the players` rights? The individual players still have their right to go to court, like Curt Flood did (in major-league baseball`s landmark free-agency decision). I`m disappointed by the decision, and I`m surprised, too. Why are things different now than they were 10 years ago?”
Zucker said he simply wanted the bargaining leverage that true free agency could have afforded.
”I wasn`t looking to move any of my players,” said Zucker. ”We could have established a market for players like (All-Pro center) Jay Hilgenberg. I still look for the Bears to give him a fair contract and get him into camp on time.”
Zucker thinks Monday`s denial of an injunction will expedite negotiations between the players association and management.
”I think this will probably help because this is what the judge has told them to do,” he said. ”The owners have all the chips again. It may be like last fall.”
Besides Hilgenberg, Tomczak, Douglass, Van Horne and Rubens, the other unsigned Bear veterans are Willie Gault, Kevin Butler, Dennis Gentry, Steve McMichael, Mike Richardson, Ron Rivera and Thomas Sanders. ”I think you`ll see a lot of signings now,” said Zucker.
”Hopefully, this is going to turn out to be a good decision for both parties, long term,” said Bears finance director Ted Phillips. ”To be honest, I wasn`t sure which way it (the judge`s decision) was going to go. I hope this will bring both sides back to the bargaining table.”
Phillips acknowledged that several key players were awaiting Monday`s decision before negotiating in earnest.
”If I was a player, I would have probably done the same thing,” said Phillips. ”Hopefully, now that the ruling is out of the way, it will take away one more stumbling block. I`m optimistic we can get everybody signed and in camp.”
