Michael Strahan Says He Has “Pretty Much” Made His Decision: At a charity event last night, DE Michael Strahan said that he has “pretty much” made up his mind on whether to play in 2008 or retire. However, Strahan says he will not make his thoughts public at this time until he is “100 percent sure”.
“I think the guys want me to come back,” said Strahan. “I think we had a great time together. Osi (Umenyiora) called me out of the blue two days ago and said ‘Do you remember 2005? We had so much fun. It was slightly more fun than last year. I think we can do it again. He’s trying to drop these subtle hints. I was like, ‘Well, we probably could, but I don’t know Osi.’ But there are times I want to and times that I don’t.”
“I’ll be honest with you, I pretty much know what I’m going to do right now,” said Strahan. “But you know what the thing is? If I say it, I can’t change my mind. So I would rather wait until I know I’m 100 percent sure that when I say what I’m going to do, I’m going to do it. Because if I say I’m retired, then I’m not going to come back the next day. If I’ve graduated from football, I won’t come back the same day in the Masters’ program. And if I say I’m going to play again then I know I’m committed to playing. So I know what I want to do. I just want to make sure that its 100 percent what I want to do, because either way it’s a heck of a commitment.”
“(I feel) better (now compared to this time last year),” said Strahan. “I mean the ring will make me feel better. Just winning everything makes you feel great. But there’s that Catch-22 because you feel great, you think we need to go back and defend it, but then you think ‘I couldn’t write a better ending to the story.’ So take your pick. Catch-22.”
Strahan was also asked about the Giants saying that they would likely increase his compensation if he plays in 2008. “Yeah, but it’s not that,” said Strahan. “Really, you know, money is great. Trust me. Nobody wants to work for free. But at the same time, I can make money doing other stuff that means when I wake up on Sunday I’m not sore, and I can have more time to enjoy life and be with my family. There are a lot of other ways to do other things and make money, but that’s not the sole purpose of life. Really, at this point, it’s enjoying myself and enjoying my family, my friends.”
Giants to Receive Their Rings in Two Weeks: According to DE Michael Strahan, the Giants players; coaches; executives and administration; scouting and personnel staff; medical, training, and equipment staff; and others associated with the team will receive their Super Bowl XLII rings on May 29 in a private ceremony. More than 200 rings will be given out. The player rings are valued more than $10,000 each.