Walker _ Favre

[Bart]

Brett Favre has taken some heat from Michael Irvin, Harry Sydney and some of the brothers for expressingdispleasureofWalker's contract fight. Bart Starr agrees with Favre as do most of the white talk show hosts and columnists in Wisconsin. Whites are not allowed to be critical of black team mates. They will circle the wagons if anyone is brazen enough to break the rule.


I understand doing what you can to gain a favorable contract but after you sign on the dotted line players should live up to the agreement. Drew Rozenhaus, Terrel Owens and a bunch of his clients are nothing more than shakedown artists.

 

[JoeV]

I would have to disagree on this point, NFL contracts are not guarenteed, they can drop you if you get injured. It might be ridiculous in TOs case, but in Javon Walker's case when he is making basically the league minimum, why risk your career and not hold out for some more money. He could sit out this year not getting the league minimum, also not risking injury. While coming back in 2006 signing to a multimillion dollar deal guarenteed for at least one year and a nice signing bonus. To break it down simply NFL contract are essentially useless.

 

[JD074]

Isn't that their weak union's fault?

 

[Bart]

Walker structured his initial contract so that he could and did receive several millions of guaranteed dollars up front in salary and signing bonus. If he didn't make the team or was imjured he could still walk away a millionaire!So, the Packers gave him huge bucks up front, hoping he would play well. He didn't look good at all his first year, second year showed improvement and then had a very good year. Now he claims he's making chump change.


Owens made 12 million last year with a 9 million dollar bonus and is crying the blues. He missed a couple games last year because of injuries and who knows for sure how his leg will hold up? What a punk!

 

[Bart]

Iagree with Brett on this issue, some quotes from him:


He said Walker's holdout reminded him of Sterling Sharpe's decision to hold out the night before the Packers hosted the Vikings in the 1994 season opener.


''Nowadays you're seeing more and more guys pulling that stunt,'' he said. ''If guys continue to do that and are successful getting away with it, then I'll be gone but I think the game will be ruined. My reaction to Javon's situation was 'Here we go again.'


''Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract.


''I sure hope the Packers don't give in to him,'' he said.


If Walker's position doesn't change, Favre said, he'd prefer the team to go without him.

 

[right winger]

JoeV has a valid point. White coaches pull basically the same stunt quite a bit, bailing out on contracts to take a more lucrative position elsewhere. The main problem is that greed drives just about everything in America today.

 

[Bart]

Whether it's a coach or player who re**** or welches on a deal it is wrong. If a player doesn't have a contract and he is at odds I can understand resorting to maneuvers but once he agrees to a deal, he should honor thetermsas men used to do in this country.


Walker negotiated for big up front money to guarantee a huge payday if he turned out to be a bust. He had a good year and wants a ton more money knowing the team and fans are screwed without him. Javon and that little weasle shyster agent of his can go to Hades, if you ask me. Rosenhaus and McKenzie killed the Packers last year, the fans are still angry about that and now he's got that fat whale Grady Jackson holding out.

 

[Kaptain]

Bart makes an excellent pointabout the money that most NFL players get up-front when they sign. Asking a reciever to prove his worth two years in a row is not asking much IMO. The team ownership took a chance when they first signed him - he should return the favor. If a player has a career ending injury during that last contract season, why should he get paid the next year? He's invaluable to the team. Plenty of guys get injured and NEVER make it to the NFL to earn a dime. Why feel sorry for the guy who has already made his millions?