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| Friday, February 16 Associated Press | |||
DALLAS – Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman says the
possibility that he might not play football next year is realistic.
He is in negotiations with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about his
future. Aikman, who has helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowl
titles in his 12 years with the team, is due $7 million if he is on
the roster on March 15. The team doesn't have to pay Aikman that
bonus if they cut him or he decides to retire before the new
deadline.
Aikman's health has been an issue. He has suffered four
concussions in his last 20 starts and missed all or part of eight
games last season.
Aikman, a native of Henryetta, Okla., told Dallas television
station KTVT for a story Friday that he would love to play five
more seasons for the Cowboys, but added that "the possibility of
me not playing at all next year is realistic."
"We all recognize the earlier we come to a conclusion, the
better off everybody is. The club, myself. ...we all understand the
urgency of it and how it effects the life of other people," Aikman
said about negotiations
Aikman said the deadline could be pushed back further than March
15.
"There has been a deadline in March that I think a lot of
people of tended to point towards. That date is probably not an
accurate date," he said in the interview from the Bob Hope Classic
golf tournament in La Quinta, Calif.
Aikman said he hasn't discussed the possibility of playing
elsewhere.
"That would only be considered if every avenue was exhausted in
Dallas and if it's decided ultimately that what I want to do is
play," he said.
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