Responding to criticism from the Major League Soccer Players Union over the low salaries paid to developmental players, Ivan Gazidis, the league's deputy commissioner, Monday said it was the union itself that had agreed to those salaries. "They were collectively bargained with the union, so it's a little bit disingenuous for the union to disclaim ownership of those figures," Gazidis said. "These are figures they agreed to in the context of an overall bargaining agreement." On Friday, much to the league's displeasure, the MLSPU released the salaries of all 359 MLS players, with the annual paychecks ranging from David Beckham's $6.5 million to the $12,900 earned by 57 developmental players.
See "MLS, players at odds over salaries", Grahame L. Jones, Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2007