Apparently, all the strikes and pickets happening at the various writers and actors associations have trickled down to professional sports.The New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley were deadlocked over the team giving him an ultimatum of either a bad contract or a franchise tag, and now he’s considering oppenheimer options: sit out all season.
Giving up a healthy year is obviously an extreme measure, but His dribbling brethren are supporting, that’s fine; nice to see he has a solid support system. Speaking of which, what about his union rep? What would he advise them to do?
While I don’t know who was specifically assigned to Barkley, NFLPA president JC Tretter had some “wink, wink” advice for Giants running back Josh Jacobs and everyone else screwed by the franchise tag (via Pro Football Talk).
“You need to try to create as much impact as possible,” Tretter said in a study called ” Ross Tucker Podcast. “The difficulty with a franchise tag or restricted movement is that it reduces your impact, but you have to find creative ways to build impact elsewhere. I think we’ve seen the problem — right now, I don’t think anyone is saying they’re fake injuries, but we’re seeing players who don’t want to stay where they are and have injuries that keep them from training and playing, but you can’t get fined or penalized for not reporting it.”
Ah yes, the “Ben Simmons, my back, my back” excuse. bold strategy. I can’t say it’s been a success for him, but maybe it’s different in football. Go ahead; let’s hear the rest of this regrettable thought process/interview.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to recommend that, at least in public, but I think every player needs to find a way to build influence to get a fair deal and that’s what all these guys are looking for, which is to be fairly compensated.”
Gosh, JC, is that all you have? It’s easy to forget that NFL running backs are part of the union. Fist-thumping coaches and incompetent quarterbacks mercilessly ram these guys into oncoming traffic, Experts advise front desks not to pay them One of the position’s greatest stars threatened to voluntarily forfeit a healthy season after the rookie trade, and the union president could only offer, “Maybe try reaching for your Hammy?”
Hey Saquon, don’t…don’t do that. If Barkley — a player notorious for his injuries — had a poor season on the team’s tag, why on earth would general manager Joe Schoen hand out a dime guarantee?
The sidelines don’t get the running backs the money they deserve because they’re playing a position with a limited lifespan, and faking injuries won’t either. Le’Vion Bell said this week that he regrets leaving Pittsburgh “insignificantly” after he insisted, and honestly, he was never the same person after that. (He also went to the Jets, so a number of factors contributed to his loss of relevance.)
The issue has encroached on union territory, and I’m not just talking about franchise tags. While running backs still have a real, concrete impact on winning, it has depreciated like a landline. If a linebacker’s playing time in the NFL is limited due to corporal punishment, they should be paid more because it won’t last long.
It’s akin to those psychos getting king ransom (on a civilian scale) to catch king crabs in the Arctic Ocean, or driving semis on ice. A running back’s job doesn’t risk life, but it can hurt some limbs, and they deserve better protection.
The NFLPA take is that it’s useless and such shit doesn’t help. Obviously, the running backs are on their own. Forced to accept bad contracts and do grueling, career-shortening labor, even if they weren’t purged.
I once got a free coozie with a carabiner attached and was wondering what this might be used for? Then I needed a carabiner for the keys and this came in handy. It works, NFLPA. Show some reason for being.