Paul Mott Quotes (24 Quotes)

That's how I got back into the game, ... It was really exhilarating to me. I've always loved the game of soccer. I found myself wanting to do more. Because I'd be wherever the U.S. National Team was playing, I'd have time on my hands, and I volunteered with the U.S. Soccer Association. They asked me to do odd jobs.

It's one of those things that I think it's impossible to put into words.

We want our season ticket holders to know that we appreciate their continued support and offering tickets to our preseason game against the Heat is a small token of that appreciation. We hope to see everyone not only at that game, but at all six regular-season games in Baton Rouge throughout the season.

Which is something I never thought I'd be doing, ... I just wanted to be a soccer player.

That led me here, ... That's when I decided I wanted to do what I could to help the World Cup be successful.

The Hornets (and the NBA), since our temporary relocation, maintained that one of our biggest goals was to play games in the New Orleans Arena this season.

At the end of my second indoor season, my doctor told me, 'You're a bright guy, and you have an ankle that will keep deteriorating over time. We'll take away a lot of bone. My honest recommendation is that you move on,' ... At 23, that's a blow. He made the point, if you try to play on this ankle over time, we're going to keep taking away bone, and you're going to be a prime candidate for a replacement ankle at the age of 40.

I realized I didn't want to be president, ... The first part was, I didn't want to deal with the media and with the nay-sayers that were saying soccer would never make it. The second part was I had gotten tired of some of the developing attitudes of the professional players. Some of these guys who are making 75 thousand bucks a year, and they're complaining about making appearances.

Of course, if there are people who need to get that money refunded, then we will work to get that done. For those in Louisiana, especially in Baton Rouge, we're going to offer a presale opportunity for the Baton Rouge games. In our communication with them, we will explain what we are proposing.

I reported to the Senior Bowl healthy and sprained my ankle in practice, ... I reported to the Rowdies right away. I was young and naive, and I was hell-bent on making sure I could get on the field and make the team. I played hurt the whole time. My ankle is permanently destroyed.

They reached out to us and made it clear they'd be willing to work with us.

We've got a terrific basketball operations group, ... That is what these guys do well. My job is to put in my two cents. Where I weigh in more is in the business side. I'm learning a lot. The basketball operations guys have welcomed me into the decision-making process. I think, over time, I will develop a keener eye for talent. I care a lot about character. I just see myself playing a supporting role to what they do and keeping an eye on what they do.

They didn't really have a job in mind, but they knew I was knowledgeable about the game and passionate about the game, ... Paul Phipps is one of the great pro sports executives around, and I went to work with him for club services. It was a great learning experience for me, and we had some real success.

We did not know what to do. These players' contracts are guaranteed. There's an NBA schedule that's set. We've got to play. And near as I can tell, I might have no ticket revenue and no sponsor revenue. And then it took me five days to find and make sure that every employee was alive.

It's pretty sensational, ... The interesting thing is he always loved soccer, and now he's the big cheese in basketball. I'm really pleased for him, and I think he's really good at it. The best part is that the team has not done well recently, so he can only go up. He has every reason to be successful.

We'd hope those people would do that. That would be best for us as a company. If it doesn't work for them, and they need that money back, and many people may, we'd refund their money in some fashion.

We're going to take our resources and spread them across a wider reach. We'll repay the citizens of Oklahoma City and provide them with their best NBA experience, because this might be their only one. But we'll try not to lose step with what we were doing in the New Orleans marketplace. We don't want people (in New Orleans) to ask, 'Where were you' These are our fans. And our fellow citizens.

During this time of great change and uncertainty, there have been a number of people who have not opted to come to Oklahoma City. Some who couldn't bring themselves to leave Louisiana in a time of great need. Others had family and things that made the decision to come to Oklahoma City very hard.

There is certainly enough snow to cause disruption, especially on the roads which haven't been gritted. Driving conditions will remain difficult all week. It will remain bitterly cold until Thursday or Friday with further snow showers expected. Milder weather should take over from then on.

I wanted young kids to have the opportunity to idolize pro players the way I idolized the North American Soccer League players, ... I volunteered with the committee in Dallas, and when the committee resigned itself that they couldn't get a team and closed up shop, we went to work and negotiated the contract for the Cotton Bowl. I got the North Texas State Soccer Association to give its support.

I think the games in Baton Rouge will start in mid-December based on the parameters we got from the people at LSU, ... We're still in negotiations.

Our first concern is Allan's health, but we have the utmost confidence that having Jeff in place will enable us to move on without missing a beat. His experience has made him knowledgeable about every facet of basketball operations and I look forward to having him use that insight to put the best possible team on the floor.

I said, 'I'm not done with soccer yet, ... I feel like I'm on a mission. After seven or eight months, I decided the opportunity they were offering me was too good to turn down. Three-and-a-half years later, I find myself being offered the president job of the Hornets.

George Shinn is the major reason why I'm here, ... I really like the man and respect him. He is a modest, unassuming man who cares about the right things. The NBA is filled with generous owners, and there's no owner that's more sincerely generous. His view on the people that are in the arena and in the community and in his staff he's a visionary, he's a leader. He needed a manager, and I think we've formed a very formidable duo. I believe in his vision, he believes in my ability to execute, and together I think we're doing something pretty special in New Orleans.