NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue "interjected himself
into the Dennis Green saga on Monday, directing the Vikings
coach and the team's owners to settle their problems as
quietly as possible," according to Don Banks of the
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Tagliabue spoke by phone with
Green and also talked with Vikings President Roger Headrick.
Green has outlined a scenario in his autobiography, "No Room
For Crybabies," for taking over the team by threatening to
sue two unidentified owners. Headrick: "I think we're
trying to get some sort of communication from Green that
will clear the air" (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/28).
OWNERS' REAX: Vikings Vice Chair Philip Maas, on
Green's recent clarifications about the book: "He's
backpedaling so fast. It's damage control. Does it help
him? I don't know. ... He knows his days are numbered. I'm
just speculating, but I think he's seeking to get fired to
set up a discrimination lawsuit. Hey, I'm just dreaming.
I'm thinking out loud" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/28).
Also in St. Paul, columnist Bob Sansevere: "Green's book has
done something that once seemed impossible. He has unified
the Vikings' 10 principal owners. And they all want to know
what the hell he was thinking when he threatened extortion
in his book." Vikings Chair John Skoglund: "It was so
bizarre. You've got to wonder what it was in there for. I
can't imagine" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/28).
