The NFL labor dispute is an ugly situation, one that doesn't exactly tug on the heartstrings of die-hard football fans. After all, from afar, it just looks to be men in suits squabbling over dollars and cents.
Often overlooked, though, are the people — the real people — whose livelihoods are at stake. These are not the Tom Bradys and Peyton Mannings of the world, but they're NFL players whose careers are currently very much in question.
They're not fighting for millions of dollars, as ESPN.com's Rick Reilly pointed out. They're fighting to make a living.
"I'll do anything. If I have to work for UPS, I will. I got a family to feed," Brian Schaefering of the Cleveland Browns told Reilly. "I've paved roads, fixed roofs, done landscaping. I'm not better'n anybody else. I don't want any handouts. I'd be happy with $12 an hour if I could get it."
Chad Hall of the Philadelphia Eagles shares a similar view.
"If we don't have a season, I'll be waiting tables and bartending [at a restaurant]," Hall told Reilly. "Plus, my uncle says he has a plumbing job for me. Pays $15 an hour, so that's not bad."
It's certainly not the whole story in this debacle, but it's one that's not getting the attention it probably deserves.
