"After he has denied Terri therapy for so many years and denied our family any opportunity to help her, we can only come to the conclusion that he is not comfortable with the prospects of her regaining her abilities to speak and communicate to us the reasons for her condition," the Schindlers said.

The Schindlers said "it seems clear" that Michael "has neither the inclination to discuss the matter with our family – as we have proposed previously."

The Schindlers also said the rejection bears on the desire of George Felos, the euthanasia advocate who is Michael's lead attorney, to have his name associated with a case gaining international attention.

"We are not at all surprised that Mr. Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, will not allow him to entertain such an offer," the Schindlers said in a statement. "It seems to us that the case law has become far more important to Mr. Felos than making any attempt to mediate the matter outside of the courts."

The Schindlers were heartened by the proposal made by Robert Herring, a wealthy electronics executive.

Herring said his offer still stood until Monday in case Michael changes his mind over the weekend.

"Clearly, Terri's situation has touched the hearts of many people," they said. "Mr. Herring's generous offer is surely one of the most incredible we've seen, but it is also illustrative of how good people cannot sit idle when a grave injustice such as this is taking place."

Felos told the media Friday that the offer was "offensive."

He indicated Michael has rejected previous offers -- including one for as much as $10 million. Felos said Michael would not take the money because he promised Terri that he would not keep her alive artificially.

"Michael has said over and over again that this case is not about money for him," Felos said. "It's about carrying out his wife's wishes. There is no amount of money anyone can offer that will cause him to turn his back on his wife."

However, Michael has come under fire from Terri's family and others who say he has broken his marriage vows. Michael has lived for years with another woman, Jodi Centonze, and already has had two children with her.