from Emily Kaplan of ESN,
ESPN: The mantra from Gary Bettman has been that the league is not looking for a fight. Are the players looking for a fight?
Donald Fehr: No. Of course the players are not looking for a fight. The players' view is what it always has been. And what I expressed in the last go-around ad nauseam, is that from the players' standpoint a work stoppage is the last resort you come to. You only do it when that's a better option than the agreements that are on the table. That hasn't been the management practice in a number of sports in the last 35 or 40 years. But hopefully this time will be different. We'll see.
ESPN: Escrow is one of the big issues. Bill Daly has mentioned before that there could be some adjustment to the cap that could be done to ease escrow for the players. Is that something the PA is looking at?
Fehr: Obviously escrow is a real problem. We believe that what the teams offer players is a closer measure of their worth. And what the teams offer players [is] less escrow. And that ought to be accounted for. There are obviously a number of things you can do to address it, and I'm sure we'll be talking about it.
ESPN: When we talk to players about the most important issues to them in the next CBA, we usually hear two answers: escrow and the Olympics. Are you confident that an Olympic solution can be achieved in the next CBA?
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