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Deion Branch: ‘I Promise You There Will Be Football’

Deion Branch knows you're frustrated as an NFL fan. He is, too, so he's offering some advice.

"Just sit back," he told the Albany Herald, "and I promise you there will be football."

The Patriots wide receiver spoke to the newspaper while at his annual football camp in Albany, Ga., where he said, simply, that everyone who loves football is sad.

"The fans are sad, we are sad and the owners are sad," he said, while discussing what he believes is the most important issue of the negotiations.

"It's not just about the players who are there today. It's about making sure the future is laid out and making sure we go back and take care of the people who came before us and laid the foundation for us to play the game of football," he said. "They are the Refrigerator Perrys [William Perry], the Earl Campbells who are struggling now. There are things we are trying to do now to make sure we compensate these guys who really aren’t getting compensated right now."

The receiver, a veteran of nine NFL seasons, also explained that it won't be as simple as suiting up and playing games once the lockout ends.

"There is a difference between being in shape and being in football shape," he told the paper. "If the lockout ended today and we started tomorrow, there will be a lot of guys getting injured. We have to work our way back into football form."