49ers CB Tarell Brown voids $2 million base salary escalator by skipping offseason wo

[NinerSickness]

Or in Brown's case the ignorant hiring the educated.

Or in your case:

It was his agent's ENTIRE job to make sure Brown knew all of the details of the contract, and he couldn't even get that right. If "ignorant" means you delegate some task and "educated" means you're and incompetent hack, then the ignorant hired the educated in this case.

 

[TobyTyler]

Or in your case:

It was his agent's ENTIRE job to make sure Brown knew all of the details of the contract, and he couldn't even get that right. If "ignorant" means you delegate some task and "educated" means you're and incompetent hack, then the ignorant hired the educated in this case.

Agreed, but if a guy is so ignorant of his situation not to realize that 2/3rds of his salary is cut if he doesn't attend a two-week training camp then I don't feel sorry for his dumb ass.

 

[NinerSickness]

Agreed, but if a guy is so ignorant of his situation to realize that 2/3rds of his salary is cut if he doesn't attend a two-week training camp then I don't feel sorry for his dumb ass.

I don't feel sorry for him either, but that doesn't make him "ignorant" or a dumb ass. It makes him a human being who screwed up on a contract stipulation.

 

[MHSL82]

To avoid that problem of setting a bad precedence, they can ensure this doesn't happen again by having one of the interns/minions in the personnel department go over all of the contracts and create a database of what each player needs to participate in to earn X amount of money and then send out an email to the players and their agents in March to keep them informed. If both parties choose to ignore the email they can only blame themselves, the 49ers could even send a 2nd email a week before OTAs.

Or make the agent liable in a contract provision. If sued, they need to show that they emailed, delivered a letter, or whatnot. Could be hard with phone calls.

I have a hard time feeling bad for him, but that's because I'm biased by what I'd do and what I think players should do. I would show up, even to voluntary workouts. I want players to do so because I feel that most training things can be done anywhere (it's not like climbing Kilimanjaro). They have enough money to get a good place to stay for that period of time, with their family (unless the kids are in school).

Also, making 900K is enough for me not to feel bad for him. Now, when a player loses their job to others, I feel bad even when they make a lot of money. I just don't feel bad when they lose a lot of money when they still make a lot. Especially if that money was lost due to not going to workouts with the team (explained above that I think for healthy players, with minimal exceptions, it's better than individual trainings) or from misbehavior or non-football related injuries.

 

[darken65]

Or make the agent liable in a contract provision. If sued, they need to show that they emailed, delivered a letter, or whatnot. Could be hard with phone calls.

I have a hard time feeling bad for him, but that's because I'm biased by what I'd do and what I think players should do. I would show up, even to voluntary workouts. I want players to do so because I feel that most training things can be done anywhere (it's not like climbing Kilimanjaro). They have enough money to get a good place to stay for that period of time, with their family (unless the kids are in school).

Also, making 900K is enough for me not to feel bad for him. Now, when a player loses their job to others, I feel bad even when they make a lot of money. I just don't feel bad when they lose a lot of money when they still make a lot. Especially if that money was lost due to not going to workouts with the team (explained above that I think for healthy players, with minimal exceptions, it's better than individual trainings) or from misbehavior or non-football related injuries.

Good post. When a player goes against what the team has planned ,you might want to check on if you can get away with that....contract or not. Poor guy will only make 900,000 this season.I'm sure he will get more actually.

 

[MHSL82]

Good post. When a player goes against what the team has planned ,you might want to check on if you can get away with that....contract or not. Poor guy will only make 900,000 this season.I'm sure he will get more actually.

I understand about burn out but normally if you cite burning out as a reason not to show up here, it sounds like you either aren't willing to put in the work that you and the team agreed was necessary or important enough to make it worth that much. It wasn't a roster bonus. Alternatively, it could mean that he didn't trust that the training crew would help limit the burnout or that he couldn't prioritize. I didn't go to the meeting because I didn't want to be sleepy later so I stayed home and thought about work (but did less to avoid getting tired).

I wonder how others would feel about the burnout thing - whether it's "whatever you know your body" or you can't do what I do all year? I have to bust my but all year and have enough to beat you? Or you don't prepare as much/long and I have to rely upon you in coverage? Or is it, great, more for me.

Remember, he's not saying what Crabtree said when he wasn't showing up ("I work the same, just by myself"). He was implying that he stayed away to avoid burnout - that implies less work or that there's less efficiency in training at the team workouts. Not all players would agree that less work, if so, equals better play later. Every player is affected by a missed assignment or whatnot.

Having said that, voluntary workouts are less about assignments, etc. and more to do with conditioning and general football.

I also wonder about how many others are required to show up, how many if them were reminded by the team/agent, or if they've ever reminded each other either indirectly (referencing that they have to go to this thing) or directly.

 

[TobyTyler]

I don't feel sorry for him either, but that doesn't make him "ignorant" or a dumb ass. It makes him a human being who screwed up on a contract stipulation.

On the contrary; it makes him both.

 

[#1BostonFan]

I'd be fucking pissed.

 

[NinerSickness]

On the contrary; it makes him both.

So anyone who spaces on a date is an ignorant dumbass huh? I suppose if you forget your anniversary one year you're an ignorant dumbass. Or if you let your AAA membership expire & your car breaks down you're an ignorant dumbass?

That's an asshole position to take, and I'm sure you don't live up to the standard you're espousing.

 

[imac_21]

Just out of curiosity, for those wanting to pile on Brown for this, I'm interested in how you would handle the following hypotheticals. . .

1. It's time to get your tires rotated so you bring you car into a garage rather than do it yourself because you aren't really comfortable working with cars and decide to have a professional do it. On your drive home you go around a tight curve to the left and the right front tire rolls off. You slide into the ditch and completely destroy your car (it's a write-off, but you walk away). Do you hold the guy at the garage accountable for not properly doing his job, or do you blame yourself for not checking to make sure all the lug nuts were tight and the tires were properly mounted? Do you just swallow the repair bill and the deductible (your insurance company refuses to pay because you were driving a vehicle not suitable to be on the road) or do you go after the mechanic/garage for the costs?

2. You're getting your kitchen renovated and hire professionals to come in and do it. Do you spend the entire reno looking over their shoulders making sure everything is done properly, or do you trust them to their job? If 3 weeks after the reno is complete your brand new gas oven explodes because the hose wasn't properly sealed, are you owning that mistake for not checking it, or are you holding the company you hired to come in and renovate your house accountable?

 

[yossarian]

Just out of curiosity, for those wanting to pile on Brown for this, I'm interested in how you would handle the following hypotheticals. . .

1. It's time to get your tires rotated so you bring you car into a garage rather than do it yourself because you aren't really comfortable working with cars and decide to have a professional do it. On your drive home you go around a tight curve to the left and the right front tire rolls off. You slide into the ditch and completely destroy your car (it's a write-off, but you walk away). Do you hold the guy at the garage accountable for not properly doing his job, or do you blame yourself for not checking to make sure all the lug nuts were tight and the tires were properly mounted? Do you just swallow the repair bill and the deductible (your insurance company refuses to pay because you were driving a vehicle not suitable to be on the road) or do you go after the mechanic/garage for the costs?

2. You're getting your kitchen renovated and hire professionals to come in and do it. Do you spend the entire reno looking over their shoulders making sure everything is done properly, or do you trust them to their job? If 3 weeks after the reno is complete your brand new gas oven explodes because the hose wasn't properly sealed, are you owning that mistake for not checking it, or are you holding the company you hired to come in and renovate your house accountable?

I don't blame Brown for relying on his agent, but your analogies depend upon the contract being complicated enough that it's too detailed to read and understand except by an expert -- like the guy fixing your tires and fixing your kitchen. If it's a 200 page contract with lots of fine print, etc., then yes, he should rely on his agent to understand all the nuances. If it's 20 pages then maybe he should have understood some of the bigger points himself, like maybe "What can I do that causes me to lose my salary?"

 

[JDM]

Isn't the NFL standard contract a monstrosity or am I imagining things?

 

[TobyTyler]

So anyone who spaces on a date is an ignorant dumbass huh? I suppose if you forget your anniversary one year you're an ignorant dumbass. Or if you let your AAA membership expire & your car breaks down you're an ignorant dumbass?

That's an asshole position to take, and I'm sure you don't live up to the standard you're espousing.

No, but if I am so ignorant of my contract situation that I allow myself to have my salary reduced by two thirds when all I had to do was attend a mini camp to avoid that then, yes, I am not only an ignorant boob, I am a dumbass.

 

[TobyTyler]

This reminds me of Anthony Carter when he went to play for the Vikings. Here's a guy who graduated, graduated mind you, from The University of Michigan but got out of his USFL contract by claiming he was illiterate and couldn't read the contract he signed.

 

[RedneckNiner]

Imac your comparisons are slightly less valid. A contract is written so Unless Brown is illiterate he has a copy he can read or at least skim for the important parts ie I lose 2 million if I don't show up on this date. People who don't know other stuff kind of have to trust professionals. I lay some blame on the agent and some On Brown but I am old fashioned in believing in personal accountabilty. In my old job I depended on cotracts and paperwork to get paid and I had people who went over stuff so I didn't have to. But I did skim the important parts to make sure I knew what I had to accomplish to see my money. Yes the agent dropped the ball but at some point Brown is not an innocent victim who had no way of knowing.

 

[imac_21]

I don't blame Brown for relying on his agent, but your analogies depend upon the contract being complicated enough that it's too detailed to read and understand except by an expert -- like the guy fixing your tires and fixing your kitchen. If it's a 200 page contract with lots of fine print, etc., then yes, he should rely on his agent to understand all the nuances. If it's 20 pages then maybe he should have understood some of the bigger points himself, like maybe "What can I do that causes me to lose my salary?"

The analogy isn't building a car from freshly mined minerals. It's getting the tires rotated. I'm sure most people are smart enough to check to see that the lug nuts are tight. I'm also confident most people don't because they trust that the mechanic has done/will do his job.

 

[imac_21]

Imac your comparisons are slightly less valid. A contract is written so Unless Brown is illiterate he has a copy he can read or at least skim for the important parts ie I lose 2 million if I don't show up on this date. People who don't know other stuff kind of have to trust professionals. I lay some blame on the agent and some On Brown but I am old fashioned in believing in personal accountabilty. In my old job I depended on cotracts and paperwork to get paid and I had people who went over stuff so I didn't have to. But I did skim the important parts to make sure I knew what I had to accomplish to see my money. Yes the agent dropped the ball but at some point Brown is not an innocent victim who had no way of knowing.

Seriously, because it's a written document anyone with a working grasp of the English language should be able to understand it? That leaves me wondering why agents and lawyers exist. The law is written in English. If you were going to court would you hire a lawyer, or because you're literate you wouldn't bother. Give me a break.

Staying with the going to court analogy, would you expect your lawyer to call you when court dates were coming up?

Wait, you didn't hire a lawyer because the law is written in English so you have a full understanding of it.

Can you indicate where I said Brown was
a. an innocent victim and,
b. had no way of knowing?

 

[NinerSickness]

The analogy isn't building a car from freshly mined minerals. It's getting the tires rotated. I'm sure most people are smart enough to check to see that the lug nuts are tight. I'm also confident most people don't because they trust that the mechanic has done/will do his job.

There it is! I wish I though of something similar to that.

If the wheels fall off and you crash into a pole and your family dies, that doesn't make you an ignorant dumbass for not breaking out the tire iron and testing the tightness of the lug nuts.

I'm sure these contracts are pretty long & have a lot of clauses in them. I doubt anyone memorizes all of them. Ever seen a contract for a mortgage? They're like 100 pages long. Nobody understands & remembers every bit of detail in them.

 

[imac_21]

Here's 17 pages just on how to read a standard NFL player contract.

http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=sportslaw

But I'm sure it's just like when Bart sold Milhouse his soul.

I have seen virtually no criticism of Brown from agents or media. They are blaming Overstreet and the Niners.

Why are the people that work with NFL contracts not blaming the player, but the people here who have, presumably, never actually laid eyes on any NFL contract feeling he is at fault?

 

[NinerSickness]

Oooh! Just thought of another analogy.

Ever hire a babysitter? Say the babysitter comes highly recommended & takes the kids to the park & gets into a crash on the way there (her fault). Kids break their legs. Are you an ignorant dumbass for trusting the babysitter? I mean babysitters are certainly less expensive than NFL agents, and your kids are worth a lot more than 2 million dollars.