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Negotiations break down between NFL and angry officials as offer is rejected BY DAVE GOLDBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Talks broke down Tuesday be tween the NFL and its officials, and a league spokesman said it’s “99% certain” replacements will be used beginning this weekend. “Their demands continue to be unreasonable and we remain very far apart,” spokesman Greg Aiello said. “There was very lit tle progress, minimal movement from their original position.” Tom Condon, the negotiator for the officials said: “It’s over for now.” Aiello' said the use of the replacements would be made of ficial following a conference call with commissioner Paul Tagliabue and a seven-member committee of owners. The work stoppage would be the first in NFL history involving officials. It also would be the first work stoppage of any kind since Tagliabue became commissioner in 1989. Condon and Tagliabue met for four hours Monday night after the commissioner returned from Mexico City instead of staying for the Cowboys-Raiders exhibition game. „ Aiello said Tagliabue suggest ed that they meet again for two hours Tuesday morning and that Condon failed to hand over a counterproposal until the last 15 minutes. After the meeting broke up, Condon said the league told him “that if we don’t have a resolution by this week, they’re going to go ahead with replacement offi cials.” “We’re without a contract, and we don’t think it’s appropriate for us to continue on until we achieve some resolution:” Last week, the NFL hired 106 replacement officials and paid them $4,000 apiece for two games, whether or not there was a work stoppage. On the table is the NFL's latest offer, a 40 percent increase im mediately and a doubled salary by 2003. The officials, who work part time, are seeking parity with the salaries of baseball, NBA and NHL officials, who are full-timers. That Could increase their salary by 400 percent. Under the offer, an official en tering his fifth season who made $42,295 last year for regular-sea son and preseason games, plus various meetings and clinics, would make $62,103 in 2001. In 2003, he would earn $84,470. An official entering his 10th season who made $64,215 last year would be paid $95,000 this season and $128,400 in 2003. At the top of the scale, an offi cial entering his 21st season who made $82,390 last year would earn $120,998 this season. He would get $139,555 in 2003. Condon is used to waiting until the last minute to make a deal in his capacity as an agent. “We reviewed their offer and thought their offer was inappro priate and didn’t address the con tribution that the officials make to the game,” Condon said. “They thought our offer was excessive and asked for too much.” Mother of dead defensive back defends medication Mother claims Northwestern is switching blame for son’s death FROM WIRE REPORTS The mother of Northwestern University defensive back Rashidi Wheeler, who died of an asthma attack during an Aug. 3 condi tioning drill, told the Chicago Sun Times on Monday that the uni versity is trying to deflect blame by attacking her son's credibility. Linda Will questions the origin of reports that Wheeler suffered 30 asthma attacks while at NU, suggesting he wasn't managing his problem properly, and that he had taken NCAA-banned supple ments. Will also is concerned by re ports that an autopsy showed Wheeler had no trace of albuterol, an asthma medicine found in in halers, in his blood. Because it is common for asthmatics to take a shot of medicine before exercis ing, Will said the inference is that Wheeler lacked responsibility in dealing with his disease. "(Northwestern) should be fig uring out what changes to make instead of trying to assign blame to someone who is not here to de fend himself," said Will, who filed suit against the school and its ath letic staff last week. While the school is conducting an investigation into Wheeler's death, Will says she has no faith in what that report will show. "I'm calling for an independent outside investigation," Will told the Sun-Times. "I have to separate things here. I still see Northwestern as a wonderful school, but the athletic depart ment? I have to question every thing coming from them. I do not trust the integrity of an in-house investigation." Will disputes that Wheeler had 30 asthma attacks as a player at NU. And if there were that many attacks, she asked the newspaper, why didn't someone from NU call her? Will called the supplement story another smoke screen. She cited Cook County medical exam iner Edmond Donoghue’s findings that the stimulant ephedrine was in Wheeler's system but did not contribute to his death. In fact, Donoghue told the Sun-Times that if anything, ephedrine -- formerly an asthma medicine - would have helped clear Wheeler’s airways. As for the lack of albuterol in Wheeler's body, Will told the newspaper: "I just want to get out the message to the public that it is not surprising how low the level of albuterol was in his system. Albuterol is not used as a regular, daily treatment. "I’ve always been conscientious in my son's approach to the treat ment of asthma. In fact, in his sophomore year, he didn't pass the drill, and I took him to a special ist. Treatments are always getting better and better. So we changed his medication, and it was work ing. The problem was that it was n’t working that day. He made that loud and clear with his pleas for help. And his pleas were ignored." Will declined to say what other medication Wheeler was using, but she said he took, it daily. She said Wheeler used albuterol only in emergencies. aany weuzei ui uie iNauunai Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, a top asthma treatment center, told the Sun Times that the best asthma treat ment is daily doses of cortico steroids. She said pre-treatment is suggested, with a shot of al buterol minutes before exercis ing, then more albuterol as need ed for emergencies. Donoghue said Wheeler's body was not test ed for corticosteroids during the autopsy because it was thought the sum of his treatment was al buterol. Will thinks NU is trying to de flect criticism. She believes the school was running a practice that violated NCAA rules requiring summer workouts to be volun tary; her son dropped during the drill and told people he was dying; the emergency phone on the field wasn't working, causing a delay until a cell phone was found. Meanwhile, Will claims, NU trainer Tory Aggeler — not real izing the severity of Wheeler's trouble — left him with an intern trainer. Thinking Wheeler was hyperventilating rather than suf fering an attack, NU personnel re portedly had Wheeler breathe into a bag, which further stopped him from getting oxygen. Want to write for Gamecock Sports? Contact us at 777-7182 or at gamecocksports@hotmail.com \ 1 If you are ready for a REAL Tailgate Party, then come on by! 11 / V" -i\ tlie 1st Great Gamecock AlAIM ! 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