Naeole OK with pay cut
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Ain't nothing finer than to be 49er
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Former Kahuku High football standout Chris Naeole, who was born on Christmas Day, always believed in the spirit of giving.
Naeole proved it last week when he accepted what essentially amounted to a $480,000 pay cut to help the New Orleans Saints clear salary-cap room.
"Sometimes," he said, "there are things you need to do. I'm a team man. I'll do what it takes to help out the team."
After all, he said, "It's just a business, man. You can't get your feelings hurt. If you do, you'll start looking down and getting irritated and becoming a grump. You just have to go with it and make things better."
Naeole, an offensive guard, was due to earn $1.23 million in the final year of a contract he signed as a first-round draft pick in 1997.
But the Saints, who were about $20,000 under the cap, asked Naeole to agree to restructure his contract. They said they might be forced to release him if a settlement could not be reached.
"I could have opted out, but I wanted to stay in New Orleans," Naeole said. "I think we have a good team. We have the potential to make it to the Super Bowl. I weighed my options. But the best decision for my family and my career was to take a pay cut and stay with the Saints."
Naeole agreed to a new two-year deal that will pay him a base salary of $500,000 annually. He also received a $250,000 signing bonus, and could earn another $100,000 if he reaches certain goals. Also, he has the option of voiding next year's contract and becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Naeole said he does not expect much sympathy. "You're always making a lot of money in the NFL, no matter if you're a practice-squad player," he said. "You're making more money than you'd make at a regular 9-to-5 (job). You have to be happy with what you've got."
Naeole already has earned enough to buy houses in Portlock, Las Vegas and New Orleans. "Ka'a'awa will always be my home," he said, smiling, "but it's a little too expensive."
Still, some things never change. Naeole said before he could serve as a tutor at yesterday's Maverick Football Clinic for high school students, "I had to clean the yard. I always have to clean the yard, even on the Mainland. It's one of the chores my wife gives me."
