Dear Holdout, Where For Art Thou?
By Louis Paone
Love of Sports Correspondent
Dear Mr. Peters,
Please help me understand this craziness.
It wasn’t so long ago you were a rookie free agent tight end. A player cut in training camp and signed to the practice squad a few weeks before Thanksgiving 2004. But through the guidance of one of the greatest line coaches in the league, Jim McNally saw something in you others did not — your ability to protect a quarterback’s blindside.
So, you dedicated yourself. You put in the work, you put in the time and you studied the film. Although great players may have a great teacher, the player still has to perform. You did that, and it earned you a Pro Bowl berth last season.
But now, with $5 million staring you straight in the face, you turn your head. Not only are you turning your head on the money, on your teammates and on your fans, but also on the organization. All for a bigger contract.
Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Peters, I get it. I understand why you feel you should be paid more. I also understand why players use holdouts to achieve this goal. Let’s face it, the average NFL career lasts somewhere close to a presidential term, and there are many players whose medical bills have cost them their fortunes and ruined their post-football lives. As a professional, you deserve to get paid your worth, and there are times when you have to stand your ground to earn this.
Correct me if I’m wrong, Jason, but I’m hearing you’re refusing to even speak with your team about working out a new deal. In fact, the word out there is that your teammates haven’t even heard from you, either. I mean, I can understand you want more money. You’re not reinventing the wheel with that move. But cutting all communication with the franchise is a bit puzzling. So is not using your teammates and the media to make it known that there’s nothing more you’d desire than to return to the team and play for the Bills.
I’m not denying that the Bills might have originally approached your request for more money with a “you’re under contract and we expect you to be in camp under your current contract,” type line. Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to have been told this.
But it seems, and correct me if I’m wrong, you’ve taken great offense to the team’s stance. The fact that the Bills have expected you to honor a contract that included a five-year, $15 million extension a few seasons ago should come as no surprise, yet you’ve taken it as the ultimate insult.
Yet, even while believing in this principle, it seemed the Bills were willing to consider your request. I believe the team understands your frustration of being the third-highest paid Bills lineman, yet the only Pro Bowler. They were willing to consider your request if you would return the favor and show up to camp.
You see, Mr. Peters, there’s another player who’s looking for a raise, too. His name is Lee Evans, and his stats warrant a hefty reward. Yet, entering the final year of his deal, he’s in camp, creating a type of chemistry with second-year starter Trent Edwards that new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert expected. He’s doing this with the expectations that the Bills will do the right thing. To date, I haven’t heard they won’t.
On a different level, there’s one J.P. Losman. In the final year of his deal, his current role as backup will cost him millions in bonus money. Although free agency is only one year away, it only takes one play in preseason to end everything. Yet, there he is, being a team player, taking the second string reps and preparing as if he might be called upon — like all backup quarterbacks do. He chose not to hold out, not to use the final year of his contract to inflate his worth and create a “trade me or else” scenario.
So, your situation is not unique to the league and it’s not foreign to your team. Yet you choose this direction. You decide not to communicate with teammates, team executives, media, fans, the mailman … anyone.
For your information, Mr. Peters, the Bills hold the cards in this deal. As a reminder, you’re under contract with them through the 2010 season. Under union guidelines, this means you’re only able to play for them for the next three seasons.
So, at some point, if you care to earn a dime of the king’s ransom that you get paid to play a boys game, you’re going to have to consider making a move. You may have to be the one that reaches out and tries to settle this. That move might involve you reporting to One Bills Drive without a new deal. At this point, it’s a matter of principle, and it seems that Russ Brandon and Co. has made their stance perfectly clear.
Until then, I’ll save a spot on my couch for you in case you want to stop by. Seems like you may need a place to hang out and kill some time. I’ll probably be earning more than you as well, so if you want to have Sundays at my house, I’ll cover for the food.
When the moment arrives that you may want to act like a professional, I’ll be cheering you all the way, as will the millions of other Bills fans wanting what’s best for their team and their franchise.
Do you feel the same?
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