BEREA, Ohio -- The New Jersey Generals of the U.S. Football League confirmed Wednesday they have talked to the agent of Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Sipe but denied making a money offer.
'According to Jim Gould (representative of new team owner Donald Trump), we never made a money offer to Brian Sipe's agent,' said Generals spokesman Kevin MacConnell. 'A representative went out (to Cleveland), Jim didn't say who the representative was, to express interest in him.
'They spoke to the L.A. Express, who have the negotiating rights to him, and Jim Gould spoke to Al Harmon (owner of the L.A. Express) to let him know the Generals were interested in Sipe. At no time was a money offer made.'
However, an Express spokesman, said from Los Angeles that the club has not been contacted by the Generals.
At the Browns' practice site in Berea, both the club and Sipe brushed aside a reported offer of $600,000 per year to lure the 11-year veteran to the USFL.
'I think Brian Sipe ... his first interest is in the Cleveland Browns, us beating Seattle,' Cleveland coach Sam Rutigliano said. 'I really don't know of anything else. I read the funnies every day too.'
'The first time I heard of this was this morning when a reporter contacted me,' Sipe said. 'I have heard nothing else. I haven't addressed myself to it. It's not important to me right now.
'What's important to me is preparing to play the Seattle Seahawks and there's just not enough time in my schedule to think about anything else.'
The New York Daily News reported Wednesday that Generals' representative Gould made an offer to Sipe.
Sipe said he had spoken to a reporter from the Daily News in training camp.
'He ended by asking me ... if I was designated to sit the bench this year, would I move to the USFL and play for less money, or something, than I was playing for right now,' said Sipe. 'I tried to be positive and I said, 'Why think like that. Why not think I'm going to win the Super Bowl and become the highest paid player?'
'There was nothing more to it than that except I was trying to express to him positiveness on my side about my confidence. It really had very little to do with the USFL.'
Rutigliano said he didn't think the offer would upset the positive attitude built by the 3-1 Browns this season.
'You're dealing with a very mature guy who is very stable and with 48 other guys who have a great sense of humor, too,' he said. 'I think this is kind of funny and adds a little levity to our Wednesday, which made it a little better for us.'
Asked to guess what might happen next, he said, 'I don't know. It's a new league and the franchises come up like McDonalds, so there may be something else.'
