Good, bad and ugly: Analyzing three types of NFL holdouts
Article By mflorio.tsn on 19th May, 2010
As offseason practices — which are more important than most realize — continue throughout the NFL, plenty of players aren't participating.
Sure, the sessions are voluntary. But no one really views them that way. If a player isn't volunteering to participate, it's usually because of something related to dissatisfaction with his current contractual status. Titans RB Chris Johnson has yet to attend an offseason practice.
There are three general types of holdouts: the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's explore some of the players who fall into one of these categories this year:
The Good A player who is not under contract has every right to stay away from voluntary workouts. He also has the right to stay away from mandatory drills, including but not limited to training camp and the preseason.
For any player, the ultimate leverage comes from withholding services. And a player who is not signed does nothing wrong when he stays away.
The fact that some unsigned players choose to sign a waiver that would pay them their full salary for 2010 creates the sense that all players not under contract should choose to do the same. But players angling for a long-term contract have only limited protection when they practice without a contract. They'll get only the money they would have earned had they signed whatever offer was tendered to them. The possibility of scoring a big-money, multiyear deal hangs in the balance — and a serious injury suffered while practicing without a contract could keep them from ever getting the huge contract they all covet.
So while Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil and others are practicing in the hopes of securing such a huge contract, players like Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards do nothing wrong by staying away.
There's another type of holdout that can be defended: Players who have been saddled with a rookie deal based on draft position but who have ma...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
Sure, the sessions are voluntary. But no one really views them that way. If a player isn't volunteering to participate, it's usually because of something related to dissatisfaction with his current contractual status. Titans RB Chris Johnson has yet to attend an offseason practice.
There are three general types of holdouts: the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's explore some of the players who fall into one of these categories this year:
The Good A player who is not under contract has every right to stay away from voluntary workouts. He also has the right to stay away from mandatory drills, including but not limited to training camp and the preseason.
For any player, the ultimate leverage comes from withholding services. And a player who is not signed does nothing wrong when he stays away.
The fact that some unsigned players choose to sign a waiver that would pay them their full salary for 2010 creates the sense that all players not under contract should choose to do the same. But players angling for a long-term contract have only limited protection when they practice without a contract. They'll get only the money they would have earned had they signed whatever offer was tendered to them. The possibility of scoring a big-money, multiyear deal hangs in the balance — and a serious injury suffered while practicing without a contract could keep them from ever getting the huge contract they all covet.
So while Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil and others are practicing in the hopes of securing such a huge contract, players like Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards do nothing wrong by staying away.
There's another type of holdout that can be defended: Players who have been saddled with a rookie deal based on draft position but who have ma...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
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