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to report back to the Bengals after the strike and announced that
he would sign with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL. USFL teams
were also interested in other Bengals players, such as David
Verser, the Bengals' number one draft choice in 1981.
On February 22, 1983, the New Jersey Generals of the USFL
announced the signing of 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel
Walker. Walker's contract provided for payments of $5 million
over 3 years. The USFL held its first college draft on January
4-5, 1983. The USFL drafted several star college players in
January 1983; USFL teams tried to sign these players for their
spring 1983 season.
E. 1983 Agreements Between Paul Brown and Sawyer
1. Background
Sawyer began to have financial difficulties in the early
1980's. Sawyer wanted to receive income from his investment in
the Bengals. Sawyer and Paul and Mike Brown began negotiations
in the spring of 1981 to increase Sawyer's cash flow from the
Bengals.
Paul Brown wanted to give his sons an opportunity to control
the Bengals. However, he was concerned about the Bengals'
finances and prospects. He knew that Cincinnati was a small
market by NFL standards in the early 1980's. In the winter of
1982-83, he thought the USFL, the players' strike that had just
ended, the fact that all NFL teams lost money in the 1982 season,
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