this is...like...really really really old news
....OLD is right...but has there been any changes to the situation in the hammer...any update or is he still in limbo...Don't know why the cats just don't release him...How is keeping a player with a negative attitude going to help the cats..He could be poison in the locker-room...Same goes for Mitchell in argoland...Why don't they just face reality and bite the bullet with these guys. Move on. :roll:..We learned our lesson with Simpson and TJ Harris...let them go, it's for the better.
[b]papazolla wrote: Don't know why the cats just don't release him...How is keeping a player with a negative attitude going to help the cats..He could be poison in the locker-room...Same goes for Mitchell in argoland...Why don't they just face reality and bite the bullet with these guys. Move on. ..We learned our lesson with Simpson and TJ Harris...let them go, it's for the better.[/b]It's not that simple papazoola.
To release any disgruntled player under contract undermines the entire legitimacy of all binding agreements within the CFL/CFLPA, and sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.
Why even bother having legally binding agreements if players are permitted to freely breach without limitation or consequence?
Why even have the CFLPA?
If all CFL players with grievances were to exploit such a precedent, the exodus would be epic, while the turnaround rival a well used carousel.
have to agree tangled
It might be a crappy contract, but it is still a contract. When a player demands more money after a solid season I like to reverse the question…ok…if you have a bad season are you going to give it back? Unlikely.
They did what was in their best interest by offering him a new contract that would up his compensation…he can elect to play out his 1 year at crap pay then move on, sign for more money and a longer deal, or sit and hope that his actions do not put off other clubs, including potential NFL clubs who may step back and say we don’t want to be a part of this considering he will have taken a season off at that point.
absolutely.
The Cats have already offered Williams a two year deal making him one of the highest paid players in the CFL, although he declined.
There is little else the club can do short of releasing him, which could lead to severe repercussions for the entire league.
Suspend them if/when they dont report for TC.
Contract with the Union says he has to be reinstated the minute he shows up… So it actually works against the club in this case if Williams wants to play games :?
he's making 50k or whatever...they can sideline him or keep him only on the 46 or heck...PR him without it being a financial burden. Let him show up last minute, then play him. He won't know the plays and his stock in the NFL will plummet...that is the biggest punishment...putting him in situations where he will not have a high level of success...and at this point, I could not fault the coaching staff for doing so...
If he does not show up that is what they should do. place him on the 4 man reserve for the season. He won’t travel with the team to Guelph so it will minimize the problems as much as possible.
Definitely agree with you both …it’s inexcusable …the best thing Chris Williams do is shine another year and maybe turn some NFL heads though in reality I can’t see how an NFL would want to use a roster spot for him given that the value of a return man who cannot double in another role is forever lower given the reduced number of kickoffs
I can’t see him as a good receiver in the NFL, as without a relatively free release on most downs like in the CFL he’s just going to be shoved off his routes by even below average NFL defensive backs.
Is he a small guy like DeSean Jackson, Dexter McCluster, or Andrew Hawkins who can overcome the limitations of being smaller in the NFL? Who knows? He’s smaller than even each of these guys though.
Make him sit out the year.
Once you start letting players out of contracts, where does it end? Hamilton will have to game-day scratch him for the remainder of the year, and he's brought it on himself.
Right but signing another contract even though its for for more money means more time in the CFL. Its a nice ploy by the TiCats to say oh we tried to give him all this money and try to look like the good guys publicly. But in reality it only takes away his window to try the NFL. By the time the next deal is over he could’ve been injured, had a couple of seasons that were subpar for him and then he falls off the NFL radar. He risks that even by playing out the year - new coach for the 2nd year in a row, plus he plays offense and special teams which increases his risk for injury. I’m not condoning Williams at all but I understand it, he wants to capitalize it while he can and realize his NFL dream. But its a tough business. On the one hand teams and fans want the player to remain loyal to the team and contract, on the other teams can also unceremonioulsy dump players and their contracts without any hesitation over loyalty (see Rey Williams). He doesn’t show, they suspend him, he shows they play him. Its as simple as that. A guy like Williams is a bit easier to cut him some slack. I don’t with a guy like Khalif Mitchell. On/off field antics and suspensions aside, didn’t he have an agreement with a NFL team a year or two ago (Dolphins?) and then backed off only to resign with the BC Lions? Now he wants to dictate where he plays in the CFL and wants another shot at the NFL? I think he’s only hurt his chances.
The Cats (as all CFL teams) are legally obligated via the CFLPA agreed mandate, to provide standard minimum terms of no less than two year contractual agreements.
i.e. the Cats cannot offer a 1 year deal. There is no ploy.
wolverine wrote: But in reality it only takes away his window to try the NFL. By the time the next deal is over he could've been injured, had a couple of seasons that were subpar for him and then he falls off the NFL radar. He risks that even by playing out the year - new coach for the 2nd year in a row, plus he plays offense and special teams which increases his risk for injury.and just how are any of these hypothetical scenarios the fault of the Tiger-Cats? Did not Williams sign a binding contract, agreeing to all terms?
wolverine wrote: he wants to capitalize it while he can and realize his NFL dream.then he should have signed a two year deal instead of three if he wished to pursue the NFL this year. This is about personal (and legal) responsibility and accountability.
…hmmmmmm…you better tell that to Wally who let Martell Mallett go on a ‘special’ arrangement or Barker who let Armond Armstead head to the nfl under …er uh let;s say a ‘gentlemans agreement’ as one source quoted…Players have left under contract before and it’s false to suggest otherwise…Certainly there’s room for concern but if this is such an ‘iron-clad’ rule, while under contract, then why is it abused when a coach or gm. sees it suits their fancy…Williams wants a shot at the nfl…Can’t blame him…I think, rather than keeping a discontented player on the roster, something can be worked out under …a ‘special arrangement’…Lets say he’s forced to sit…IF the cats had any inkling of ever re-signing him after a failed attempt at the nfl, they can kiss that goodbye…Cats have a BIG problem on their hands :roll:
I have zero sympathy for Williams with NFL aspirations like any given other player under CONTRACT with the same who desires to break his contract. Oh cry us all a river!
If you signed a contract with the term of 2 years plus one year at club option, you don't get to play "heads I win bigger if I have successful seasons, tails you lose if I don't!" with your employer who made an investment in you. That's not the deal for any such player.
Williams is who he is today and able to market himself to the NFL due to his successful experience in the CFL and not "in spite of it" as is probably his lousy mentality now.
In fact if Chris Williams keeps at it like this instead of just playing out his time or goofs off this season, even though normally I cheer for the underdog I will cheer against him for sake of the NFL.
Yes and exile him perhaps to the “satellite camp” in Tuktoyaktuk NT too. :x
If he was a qb or a lneman then I would have no sympathy… However, he plays a position that your whole career is only 3 years… Ezra Landry, Basar Levengston… These guys were all-stars and their careers ended over night. you guys have to admit that he kind of got screwed over by signing a 2+1 contract. No one else signs that deal. He had a crappy agent or bad advise. For the record, I believe that all CFL contracts should be 2+1 once the CFL has a minimum salary of around 60k.(hopefully where it sits for 2014)after all, you have nowhere else to play. However, under the current climate where the minimum wage is not even enough to live on, why just one person gets the shaft then that doesn’t seem fair. It is not possible for someone to live on 42K and yet pay rent in two diferent cities and because of distance and insurance issues, you need two cars as well. I live in Vancouver but do not work in the city because the wages are next to third world. I get a tax free living allowance between $125-$195 per day of work depending on where I am working. furthermore, I get flight money every 3 weeks which is tax free as well. Of course i get my wage in addition to all of this which of course is taxed. I can honestly say, that I would be living in poverty if i was onlly givin 42K for 6 months of work.
The difference with those players is: That was the agreement for them to sign the initial contract to come to the CFL. If Barker said to Armstead Come and play for us and if you get your medical clearance and an NFL offer we will release you it is a different thing. Same with Mallet. How would you feel as a paying fan if Joe Mack released Chris Matthews this spring ? I don’t think it would go over well with the fans.