...Harris was tweeting, according to reports, that he's really excited about the nfl draft tomorrow...IF (a big if) an nfl club drafts him and wants to sign Harris the Bombers would have to release him from his contract.....AND if that were the case i'd like to see some compensation coming our way... Harris certainly has an up hill climb to realize his dream of catching on down south...He was injured for part of his rookie year here and his play trailed off toward the end of 2010...Maybe a team could show a lot of interest in him but with the baggage of possible compensation and his injury i think his chances are slim...Good luck to him if he does snag a spot in the nfl...but i sure as hell want some kind of compensation...orrrrr a commitment that his rights will be retained by us if he's signed and released once the nfl resumes...I think that would only be fair considering the favour granted him if he requests and receives his release...What say you??? :roll:
My bet is he resumes his career in the CFL ...lights it up and gets a better nfl look and shot down the road
What's up with this. How can he be eligible for the NFL draft if he's already been away from college for a year and playing pro up here. Is there a special situation with him?
If TJH was playing NCAA ball, this would be his draft year. He was ruled academically ineligible to play NCAA football last season so instead of sitting out a year he came up here so he could keep playing. His name is entered into the draft and he can be drafted. The NFL head office has informed teams that he is under contract to the Bombers for next season and is their property and that may not be available for 2011. The bombers denied him permission to work out for teams in preparation for the draft. Mack has said that he expects TJH back this season HOWEVER if he was drafted high enough and would be in line for a bigger payday he would look at working something out in the best interests of the player. His upside is that he has a year of pro ball under his belt. He was hurt for part of the year but we're talking about football players here, most of them have some form of injury, there are guys with knee injuries and so forth that have more ?'s than TJH about their health and are projected first rounders. On the flip side, teams are aware they might not get him until 2012 or might have to work out some sort of transfer payment to the bombers. Also you have to consider that even without the baggage he is not highly ranked in comparison to other receivers right now. This might help
....there is a 'special situation' regarding Harris....he left college and was never drafted...There was some confusion with regard to his nfl draft eligibility when we signed him...That apparently has been cleared up and over the off-season his agent was pushing for Harris to take a run at the nfl...even though he was under contract to the Bombers...This whole situation is a little weird and it looks like there will be no end to the bending-over the CFL will do to accomodate players and their nfl aspirations...I for one think it stinks but we are kind of over the proverbial barrel on this one...If we say no to his release after he;s drafted (if he's drafted) it will be seen as 'dumbing down' a guys American dream even though we have a contract that says he's Bomber property...This kind of stuff makes us look like a weak sister to the nfl...Hopefully it's resolved to our satisfaction and Harris'...I think he should honour his CFL contract and try his nfl luck when it is allowed according to league rules....We'll see :roll:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Bombers released him to go to the NFL would he not have to clear CFL waivers? It's nice that Mack might be willing to do him a favour but why would the other CFL teams honour that? If I needed a receiver and he came on the waiver wire, I might very well grab him -- what's the downside?
...i believe you are correct ...he would have to clear CFL waivers....Mack also knows this and this presents another problem with Harris' release...I don't see all of the other clubs turning a blind-eye and letting him walk....he's too good...sooooooo this presents another problem for the Bombers...IF I'm Mack and this scenario becomes a reality i'd have to say sorry Mr. Harris ...it's a no-go to your release and we'll both have to live with it... :roll: It's a tough call and i'm sure glad it would be Mack making the decision and not me :lol:
This a wierd one. Good on Mack though for letting him go, if an NFL offer is there. As for the waiver thing, pretty sure Mr. Cohon would be on the phone with each G.M. spelling out the hidden rules of this situation, ie. no one get in the way of this. I agree with Wolverine though, that anyone relieved from their CFL contract, on a "because it's better for you and a gift from us" scenario, if they ever come back, they pick up where their previous contract in the CFL left off.
How is this different than the Mike Sellers' deal. Mike was under contract with the Bombers but had an offer to play in the NFL. I realize that was before the new options rules but he had screwed the option available to him. The Bombers said "no" and he had to play out his contract.
It might be Mack might get some favors thrown his way if he plays nice with the NFL but man, this is not so good for the obligations of CFL contracts.
Mack was quoted ages ago on this subject. I think it's in another thread here. He said that TJ told him he would be honouring his contract no matter what happened in the draft.
Is there a link to these reports, Papa? Or a link to the actual twitter comments? I've looked through some of TJ's tweets and on his Facebook page and I don't see any comments about getting out of his contract. Just a couple of comments about being excited about the draft.
Mack, on cjob about 2 months ago roughly, maybe even a month ago, not sure, REGARDLESS... he said that if tj gets drafted in the 1st or 2nd round that he would be more than likely willing to let him go, HOWEVER, that is unlikely to happen so what i see happening is nfl teams passing on him. he has said he will honor his contract however like i said, if he's chosen in the 1st or 2nd rounds, he could be just outright released from his contract or the nfl team can give the bombers compensation for him.
I dont see him getting drafted tho that early, if at all, he's coming off a big injury, sure he looked good for 1 or 2 games but fact is he was injured for about 10 weeks. No nfl teams asked to see film on him or asked to work him out either so... my guess he wont get drafted, however if he has a big year this season, he gone next for sure. might be smarter for him to stick around this year, put up some big numbers and then get into a bidding war of sorts next season in the nfl.
That won't happen. The League won't allow it. Yes it happened years ago in a situation that is completely different from TJ's but the League changed the rules after that happened.
hmm.. then i guess he's a bomber this year.. EITHER WAY. no way they let em go if he gets drafted in the 5th round.. dont see him going in round 1 or 2. so he's a bomber this year then.
just wanna add, if he does, im not worried.. sherman, brown, etc.. they can all fill in nicely im sure.
...There is a feeling in the Bomber organization that Harris has definite plans to leave for the nfl...whether that be sooner or later.....A suggestion today that he's going all out is being reported by a local media site, saying that he's advertising his services on youtube....getting desperate perhaps?????
As far as the rest of the teams being coericed into watching TJ walk without applying their right to players on waivers :lol: ...don't think so...No commissioner has that power..I'm sure you'd see a claim come in ...especially from a guy like Taman who has done it before.... Risky business going down that road for future player contracts...They would essentially mean squat :roll:
He did post a video of a work-out on YouTube but I wouldn't call it desperate. I think his agent thought it would be good thing to post since TJ wasn't allowed to work out for any NFL teams. I just hope his agent isn't filling TJ's head full of unrealistic expectations.
....maybe a poor choice of words...i should have said 'curious' on his part instead of desperate, when you consider that Harris said he would honour his contract with the Bombers in 2011 BUT now seems ready to fly south if the right guy comes calling....Don't get me wrong here....IF he gets drafted high and has a great offer...all the more power to him..it's just that there's a little matter of a signed CFL contract in the way..How you bypass that without causing some ruffled feathers...league and fan-wise will be interesting ..I guess we should put a hold on futher discussions on TJ till we see how the draft goes....Over speculation , while being somewhat entertaining , lacks factual substance :lol:
Mack has spoken to Jeffers-Harris and his father repeatedly this winter and has made a promise: if he hears his name drafted, the club will consider allowing him to leave the final year of his CFL contract to pursue his NFL dream. Previously the team did not want to release Jeffers-Harris because of the precedent it would set, but they also understand there could potentially be a bigger issue in play here: a third- or fourth-round pick, Mack predicted, could earn a $200,000 signing bonus and a base of $400,000; Jeffers-Harris will earn about $50,000 if he plays out his final year in Winnipeg.
"He does have a unique situation in that all of the rest of our players -- and to my knowledge all the rest of the players in the CFL -- have had the opportunity to be drafted by the NFL," Mack explained. "I still struggle with this, but we want to make sure we do what's morally right, too. If he had a chance to make a million dollars for him and his family and he's going to make $50,000 here... we'd have to have a real discussion about that.
"We'll try to do what's right and we'll just have to react to whatever happens."
Yes he would have to clear CFL waivers if the Bombers release him from his contract. My personal opinion is that most of the other CFL GMs, although not obligated, would understand the situation where a young player can try to achieve his dream and make more money and how rare an opportunity like that can be. I think they would probably not stand in the way, though I don't have any evidence to support that. To stand in the kids way would be a PR headache and you don't know what frame of mind he shows upin, if he shows up at all, if you put in a claim. Also on the plus side for the other teams perspective the bombers lose a good receiver and if TJH doesn't make it in the NFL he would be a FA coming back and up for grabs.
...hate to rain on your thoughts regarding TJ and the waiver wire BUT ...if you remember Taman and Hebert you'll recall that's exactly what happened...Kyries was 'upset' to say the least when Taman grabbed him at the last minute off waivers...Although Hebert didn't take the move too well he came to tc...played like the professional he is and the rest is history...I would expect that's what TJ would do AND i don't think i'd like to put him in that situation where he could be 'grabbed'....It'd be tough and embarrassing to see him dress for someone else....ouch....HOWEVER...I do like Macks approach with regards to Harris and his nfl quest...I would say that if TJ isn't picked in the next few rounds and drops out of sight...we'll see him in BluenGold in 2011....nixing any waiver scenario..We'll see :roll:
THe Hebert situation was a number of years. A more recent example would be Martel Mallett clearing waivers unclaimed after the Lions released him so he could try the NFL.
...it doesn't matter how long ago ....the Hebert scenario is similar....Wallys deal with Mallett was different due to the fact Mallett was signed with that intention all along....hence a lot of raised eyebrows when it surfaced...I don't think Mack conducts business like that...(no proof he didn't have a hand-shake deal with Harris though) but if he did it would be one of the reasons why there is any discussion on this at all.....In any event i think this is all moot, because it looks like the nfl ...who were informed by Mack that Harris is under contract to the CFL ,are going to pass on him.. Even a latter round pic won't be much of an impetus to let Harris walk soooooooo my advice to TJ....light it up for the Bombers in 2011...your dream is still intact
Risky business going down that road for future player contracts...They would essentially mean squat :roll: