Death to Sports Prima Dona's!

[topspeed]

It's been slowly gaining steam.

Year after year, a few more join the bandwagon.

Recently, it finally came to a crescendo as Terrel Owens and his new agent, Rosenhaus (aka the Anti-Christ), decided that one year into his 7yr. $49m contract he should get a new one that pays him a lot more. Not coicidentally, Javon Walker of the Packers after having one good year out of the three he's been in the league is also pulling the same crap. Guess who his agent is? This is not limited to football, you see it in every sport and it's becoming increasingly accepted as normal business practice: Hold out and whine until they pay you.

Thankfully, the Eagle's owner, team, and most importantly, the fans have decreed that they won't renogotiate and will win with or without TO.

Every team in every sport needs to handle these a-holes in this manner. When did it become acceptable to not honor your contract? When did it become acceptable to not be true to your word? When did it become acceptable for one person to be greater than the team? What kind of example is this setting for kids? As professionals, don't they owe it to the fans that pay their salaries to be better role models? It's bad enough most young athlete consider college as merely a weigh station until they can bolt for the pro's. But now when they get there, they seem to have no concept beyond anything but "What's in it for me?"

Brett Favre, without question one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history said it best:
"Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract."

OK, I'm off my soapbox.

[Duds]

It's an absolute joke these days. I applaud the Eagles' owner for saying he wont renegotiate TO's contract. I'm just hoping he doesnt eventually give in.

It's been slowly gaining steam.

Year after year, a few more join the bandwagon.

Recently, it finally came to a crescendo as Terrel Owens and his new agent, Rosenhaus (aka the Anti-Christ), decided that one year into his 7yr. $49m contract he should get a new one that pays him a lot more. Not coicidentally, Javon Walker of the Packers after having one good year out of the three he's been in the league is also pulling the same crap. Guess who his agent is? This is not limited to football, you see it in every sport and it's becoming increasingly accepted as normal business practice: Hold out and whine until they pay you.

Thankfully, the Eagle's owner, team, and most importantly, the fans have decreed that they won't renogotiate and will win with or without TO.

Every team in every sport needs to handle these a-holes in this manner. When did it become acceptable to not honor your contract? When did it become acceptable to not be true to your word? When did it become acceptable for one person to be greater than the team? What kind of example is this setting for kids? As professionals, don't they owe it to the fans that pay their salaries to be better role models? It's bad enough most young athlete consider college as merely a weigh station until they can bolt for the pro's. But now when they get there, they seem to have no concept beyond anything but "What's in it for me?"

Brett Favre, without question one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history said it best:
"Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract."

OK, I'm off my soapbox.

[kexodusc]

Yup, it happens too much.
Good for Philly for holding their ground.
Same happened a few years back with that Russian guy in the NHL...Yashin...held out for more money after being the runner up MVP, but gawd love the owner...held his ground and didn't cave.

It went to court, and the courts ruled the guy couldn't play anywhere else in the world for money without owing damages. Long story short, this guy lost a year of his prime holding out, 1 year of the 7 million pay raise per season he would have had, and the 3 million per year he forfeited not playing under the old contract. 10 million total. All because of bad agent advice.

I really believe that AGENTS are at least 1/2 of the evil greed in pro-sports. And the fact that players can collude but owners can't...sheesh.

Sports have lost a lot of purity IMO...I spend more time watching local teams, my friends kids play ball, etc than TV now. At least they're in it for the right reasons.


Oh well...

[ericl]

I think it is definitely driven by agents, but the player obviously has to let it happen. the agent works for the player.

My favorite team, the Oakland Raiders, are going through this right now with their star cornerback, Charles Woodson. he has the most unreasonable, intractable agent in the Poston brothers (google them and you will see these guys are absolute a-holes). The Raiders offered him a contract making him the highest paid CB in the leagure, and he still wouldn't sign, he wanted more. They franchised him and will now earn 10.5 mil this year, 1/8th of Oaklands entire salary cap.

Every other player, including newly acquired superstar Randy Moss(!!!!), have restructured to allow the Raiders to sign a lot of quality players. Not C-Wood. I really liked the guy, great athlete, but he's really hurting the team at this point. No other team is even interested in this great veteran because he's so greedy with these beyond a-hole agents.

[Woochifer]

I agree that TO's out of line here in demanding to renegotiate a contract that he signed only a year ago. But, there is a flip side in that football contracts, unlike baseball and basketball, are not guaranteed. You go down for the season with an injury, you don't get paid. You get cut, you don't get paid. That's why it seems that football's where you get the most holdouts and guys demanding to renegotiate their contracts. Football players are only a bad break away from having all of their backend salary taken away. Compare that to the Yankees, who have to pay Jason Giambi the full amount of his bloated but guaranteed contract, no matter what happens with his health and how far his play deteriorate.

The only guaranteed money in football is the signing bonus, and if TO wants to renegotiate, then the first thing that he should put on the table is whatever upfront money he got last year. But, this is TO just being TO, and Rosenhaus being Rosenhaus (I doubt that this is all TO's idea alone -- Rosenhaus gets paid when TO gets a bigger contract, since he didn't negotiate the current deal). I guess they're trying to make up for lost ground when TO's former agent screwed up his paperwork, and he almost wound up in Baltimore.

[Duds]

The only guaranteed money in football is the signing bonus, and if TO wants to renegotiate, then the first thing that he should put on the table is whatever upfront money he got last year.

I dont even think the signing bonus is guranteed is it? I think I heard on a talk show the other day that the Browns could make Kellen Winslow pay back his signing bonus if they wanted to? I could very well be wrong though

[ericl]

I think the deal with Kellen Winslow is that he destroyed his knee in a very bad motorcycle accident, after riding like a complete lunatic (a 50 mile an hour wheelie or something crazy). His whole career is in jeopardy. Riding a motorcycle is strictly forbidden by the contract, for exactly that reason. Therefore, he has breached contract and the Browns are no longer obligated to pay him. One terribly foolish mistake by this kid that may cost him his career.

[topspeed]

Winslow's a punk. Nothing more, nothing less. He was a punk at Miami and he was a punk when he refused to report to camp as a rookie! The kid didn't know how to ride, didn't take lessons like his friends told him to, and having more balls than brains, decides to learn how to ride on Gixxer crotch rocket. I ride sport bikes and lemme tell ya, learning to ride on a sportbike is like trying to learn how to drive using a Viper! The power to weight ratio is insane! One wrong move and it's over. No stability control to keep it in line, no airbag to cushion the fall. I hope Cleveland gets every cent of their bonus money back and kicks his dumb ass to the curb.

[kexodusc]

Yeah the idea of "guaranteed contracts" was a bad move for sports in hindsight.

That's the only thing I like about the XFL (well, the names and jerseys were cool, too). Teams got paid for winning on top of base salary, and decided how to divide it up among themselves.

I hate the notion that pro-atheletes can have unions but owners can't collude. Puts them all in a bad spot, not only does the owner have to compete against he player, agent, and union, but also against his counterparts in other markets.

It's true that football not having guaranteed contracts seems to create the most contract problems. But this of course isn't an argument for players to renegotiate contracts (I know you didn't imply it was, just as). They signed the non-guaranteed contract supposedly in good faith, it was good enough at the time. Players should negotiate "renegotiation windows" into these contracts if they want it...

A few years back even, early 1990's, it seemed the fans were on the side of the players in these disputes. Now it seems we've flip-flopped on that. I think I read and watch more sports news about the business of sports than the game itself. That's a shame.

[Duds]

Well that proves the point that even bonus money isnt guaranteed right?

I think the deal with Kellen Winslow is that he destroyed his knee in a very bad motorcycle accident, after riding like a complete lunatic (a 50 mile an hour wheelie or something crazy). His whole career is in jeopardy. Riding a motorcycle is strictly forbidden by the contract, for exactly that reason. Therefore, he has breached contract and the Browns are no longer obligated to pay him. One terribly foolish mistake by this kid that may cost him his career.

[shokhead]

I dont have a problem with TO at all. He's trying to get all the money he can,just like each and every one of us would do and if you say you wouldnt,your lie.

[Justlisten2]

When did it become acceptable to not honor your contract? When did it become acceptable to not be true to your word?

Answer: When were lawyers invented?