Plenty of NFL players, owners, executives, coaches and fans are getting nervous about how long the lockout will last. Bears defensive end Israel Idonije says all those people should calm down.
Asked by the Chicago Tribune what his level of concern is, given that there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight to the lockout, Idonije answered, “Zero.”
“It’s business,” Idonije said. “Welcome to sports, welcome to the NFL. You’d hope it would be easy. Just in the business world, when there’s negotiations, always there is a back and forth. It always takes time. That’s just how it is. It’s business. At the end of the day, when it all settles, we’re all on the same team. It’s going to be owners and players working together to grow the game like we always have.”
Idonije said he’s personally treating this offseason like any other in terms of his preparation -- except he’s doing his workouts on his own, rather than under the supervision of the coaching staff.
“One thing is for sure, definitely this whole lockout will end,” Idonije said. “And when it ends, you have got to be ready. So for me, it’s business as usual.”
Let’s just hope Idonije is right, and it’s still business as usual in September.