Carroll Angeles

Colts center Jeff Saturday, leadership 'is in his DNA'
By Mike Chappell - Indy Star
July 31, 2011
(two pages)
As the executive committees for NFL owners and players hop-scotched the country this summer trying to
resolve what became a 41/2-month lockout, one figure seemed omnipresent.
In one photo after another, one video clip after another, there was Jeff Saturday. The Indianapolis Colts'
veteran center looked the part of arbiter, wearing a sport coat and toting a leather bag.
Former teammate Ryan Lilja chuckled when it was mentioned the Colts' five-time Pro Bowler looked out
of place in anything other than his No. 63 jersey.
"We used to get on him and talk about political aspirations," Lilja said. "My hope is Jeff can springboard
from his NFL career and his player representative career and succeed Mitch (Daniels) as (Indiana)
governor."
Casual talk in the offensive linemen's meeting occasionally turned to Gov. Saturday taking care of those
closest to him.
"Yeah, we used to joke with him about that," Lilja said. "Every so often he'd come back and say, 'OK,
you're going to be the secretary of this and you'll be in charge of that.'
"But all kidding aside, he's a guy who if you take a straw poll of guys in the league who know him and
have been around him, he'd be good at leading just about anything."
Part of the solution
The owners' lockout of players threatened to disrupt the preseason, even the regular season. It had football
fans across the country riled up.
Labor peace was restored July 25 when the NFLPA's executive committee, of which Saturday is a member,
and the player representatives from the 32 teams voted unanimously to endorse the new collective
bargaining agreement. Owners had done likewise the previous week.
As commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith held a joint news
conference to discuss the resolution, Saturday stood in the background. At one point, he and New England
Patriots owner Robert Kraft shared an emotional hug.
The end had come, and the influence of Saturday, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth and
others was undeniable.
"(Jeff) and Domonique were instrumental in that they were the two who were in every meeting," NFLPA
president Kevin Mawae said. "I can't say enough about how they played a major part in all of it."
Saturday insisted it was a shared venture.
"I'm awfully proud of how hard everybody worked to get this done," he said. "It gives you a sense of relief
and excitement that we get back to the business of football."