Fire wall,
I thought "talks about talks, offer/no offer" was all company fuelled rumours and hearsay to further denegrate unity within the AOA. However, if a mate of high standing within the AOA told you otherwise, then no argument can compete against evidence of such strength.
A mate of high standing in the AOA also saw Elvis catching the bus to DB; send me $1,000 and I can get you front row seats to his next concert.
Not sure which box you're thinking out of....