Just like college ball, training camp is vital to a rookie’s success in the NFL. It is the equivalent of a new student at school missing the first month of classes, in that there is a lot of work to be made up and a lot of key tips missed from the instructor. Clifton Brown of NFL.com had this to say about rookie holdouts: “Any player who misses more than three days of camp is taking a serious risk. What rookies see at OTAs and minicamps doesn’t compare to what they see at training camp. Everything is accelerated 100 percent. Historically, rookie holdouts have a hard time playing well and they often suffer injuries after they show up.”

As some of you may recall, former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell held out for 47 days before signing his mega deal. We all know how that turned out. One could argue that Russell was a lost cause from the start, but we don’t know that for sure. Another big name that we all are familiar with is 49ers WR Michael Crabtree. Crab held out for 67 days before signing a six-year, $32 million deal with $17 million in guaranteed cash. Earlier in the holdout, Crabtree was seeking a bit more money than what he was presented with. He played decent when he joined the team, but there is still a lot to be shown before I’m sold.

Since my goal is to eventually become a successful agent, I have already begun to think out how I will handle these types of situations. Never too early, right?

First off, before I did any type of negotiating, I would explain to my client the benefits and detriments of holding out. Then I would ask him if holding out is an option for him (after all it is the client’s career). Some players feel confident enough that they will earn big money later on, so they decide to head to camp and accept whatever is negotiated. To me, image of my client is very high on my list. I do not want to put my client in a position to hurt his image. I was always taught to never burn bridges, and I just feel as though a player can be much more successful and comfortable with a team if he shows up to camp on time and eager to learn.

So, I ask you all: What would you do if you were in this position?

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter (@Dominic_Perilli) for updates on upcoming stories, and the latest comments.

Should Agents Hold On Before They Holdout? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Dez is at camp and has already caused a ruckus. Here is a video interview with Bryant from Dallas camp over the weekend, where he states that he will not carry Roy Williams pads or do any of the other traditional rookie chores or gags. Dez says that he was brought to Dallas to win games, not to carry teammates’ pads.

At a press conference the day after Bryant signed, Jerry Jones thanked Bryant’s agent Eugene Parker of Maximum Sports Management for working with the Cowboys to help make a deal before camp possible. Parker represents Michael Crabtree, the 49ers WR that held out well into the regular season last year. Parker had also represented previous Cowboys first-round selections Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins, and had both reporting late to Cowboys camp. With reports claiming that Parker wanted to make a deal with the Cowboys ASAP and ultimately signing a contract only a few days later, it looks like he learned some lessons from the Crabtree holdout and his previous dealings with the Cowboys in Jerryland.

And since the NCAA started investigating several schools last week for impermissible agent/player benefits, let’s not forget what happened to Dez Bryant last season when he only played in three games because of an NCAA suspension for lying to NCAA investigators about dinner and a meeting with Eugene Parker’s former star NFL client, Deion Sanders. Did Parker try harder to get Bryant into camp with a contract and no holdout because he felt responsible for Bryant losing his eligibility last season? Maybe the NCAA even learned something from Dez Bryant’s dilemma at Oklahoma State, and has picked up the level of enforcement this year (or maybe they stumbled upon these NCAA violations from a student athlete’s Tweet about a trip to Miami with the boys).

Anyway, with Bryant’s contract negotiated, the Cowboys began training camp this Saturday with a full roster and no worries about a potential hold out by the player they moved up in the draft to grab. But will Bryant’s signing spur other first round picks to finalize their contracts in the near future? Are NFL contracts getting harder to negotiate? Are agents demanding more money and holding out, or are contract terms and clauses delaying the process or even causing an impasse?

This year’s first overall pick Sam Bradford and his agent Tom Condon recently started negotiations with the Rams. Condon and Bradford are looking to negotiate the richest contract in NFL history.  One worth around $45-$50 million in guaranteed money.

The sooner Condon can work a deal, the better for Pro Bowl veteran quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who will be using the numbers from Bradford’s expected large rookie deal as a barometer for their own contract negotiations. Peyton is even represented by Condon. Brady is rumored to be looking for somewhere around $20 million a year. He is set to make $6.5 million this year($3.5 base) after a negotiating a $3 million bonus in March.  Perhaps Brady wants to beat Peyton in next year’s Fortunate 50 US Athletes. Peyton is the only NFL player in the top ten (#9) of the list, earning a total of $30.8 million including endorsements ($15 million).

Condon surely isn’t the only agent attempting to finalize a contract for his clients. With training camps rapidly approaching for all NFL teams, we will likely see a barrage of draft picks signing contracts and rolling in the “quam,” as Rod Tidwell would say. We all know Drew Rosenhaus and the RSR crew are out there working hard and smart for Terrell Owens and the many other NFL clients on their high profile roster.

According to NFLLabor.com, through Saturday (based on official notification to the league office), 71 percent of the players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft (182 of 255) have signed contracts. Through Thursday, July 22, 163 of the 255 players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft had signed contracts, up from 126 of 256 draft choices signed as of July 22, 2009.  As of July 24th, among players selected in the first three rounds – 26 have signed this year vs. 20 at this time last year, an increase of 30 percent. Through midnight on July 25th, a total of 33 players selected in the first three rounds have been signed.

Although the velocity of overall players signing contracts has increased this year, the number of first round players signing contracts early has certainly not followed suit.

Before Dez Bryant signed, Vlad Ducasse, the 61^st overall pick by the New York Jets, was the first second-round draft pick to sign a contract (Props to Mike Tannenbaum, Ari Nissim and the rest of the Jets management for doing a great job with so many contracts this off-season. There’s still a couple more BIG deals to negotiate). Only four other second-round picks have signed since Vlad. Two of them signed over the weekend. Here is an up to the minute, team-by-team list of all the players drafted in 2010 who have signed with their clubs.

While some people are shocked and amazed when they hear that Bryant was the first first-round pick to sign a contract, and that it was so close to the beginning of camp, this is not the first time the first contract has been negotiated so late. Logan Mankins, the 32^nd pick of the Patriots in 2005, was the most recent first first-round draft pick to have signed this late- and he signed on July 25^th of 2005.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash said Thursday (July 22) that it’s normal for so many top draft picks to remain unsigned at this point, and used as evidence the fact that only two first-rounders (pick #1 Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez ) were signed at this point last year.

Even if it is “normal” nowadays for rookie draft picks to sign deals late into the summer, there has to be some reason why the agents for so many of the top NFL rookies and veterans are hesitant to sign contracts this season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Shefter, this is because of the uncertainty that remains with option bonuses in contracts, and relies on the fact that the 2011 season is still not 100% guaranteed because a new (CBA) Collective Bargaining Agreement has not been reached yet.

Agent Jack Bechta from the National Football Post and JB Sports Inc brings up a great point about the flow of cash from signing bonuses in Keeping the rookies hungry. Bechta said:

“Although the pace of signings for later round players is moving about 15% faster than last year (from data turned in to the NFL as of July 16th), it doesn’t mean that the flow of signing bonus cash is moving at the same rate. Usually, when a player signs his deal, it can take up to 10 business days to get the signing bonus check. Furthermore, teams rarely pay out the whole bonus at once. For example, the Cardinals, who have just two late picks signed thus far, have been known to painfully prolong the bonus payout over three years. The Eagles, on the other hand, are more generous and are all about getting the deal done and trusting their player to do the right things. For the majority of first- and second-rounders, of which only one has signed (Vlad), only a portion of their signing bonuses will be paid right about the same time camp begins. Several GMs and head coaches believe that once their players get a pocket full of cash it could mean party time, lots of time cruising in their new ride, sharing the wealth with the boys and cutting back on the workouts.”

Jack Bechta was told by a General Manager he knows, that he likes keeping the rookies poor and hungry until camp. Therefore, he directs the salary cap manager to hold off negotiating until after the July 4th weekend.

Additionally, Bechta stated “If it were up to the agents, all the rookie deals would be done within a few weeks after the draft. The players would have their money, the financial consultants could start their planning, and the players could get set up in their new city.”

I’m not sure if I agree with Shefter regarding the uncertainty of the 2011 season and the issues surrounding the CBA (although a rookie wage scale is one of the topics on the bargaining table), and their effect on the timing of negotiations; however, I do believe that option and signing bonuses in contracts play a huge role in the timing of players signing contracts. The earlier a team negotiates and signs a contract with a player (once which includes a signing bonus and an option bonus), the earlier that team is liable and on the hook to that player if anything happens to him. A prime example of this is the Giants early signing of Chad Jones and his unfortunate car accident earlier this summer. As Bechta points out, the G-men worked out a deal for Jones before he was injured, giving him an $826,000 signing bonus. After a serious car accident at 5AM in New Orleans, Jones may have career-ending injuries and is not likely to return to the G-men anytime soon. He will likely spend the Giants money on doctors bills and rehab before even playing a down for the team.

The Dolphins negotiated a deal with Jake Long in April of 2008, before they had even drafted him with the first overall pick. Long was given around$30 million guaranteed. Could you imagine the amount of criticism Parcells and the Dolphins management would have received for signing a rookie that early if Long was injured shortly after he was drafted, like Jones was?

I think that the uncertainty of the 2011 season (because a new CBA has not yet been agreed to) may have some influence over the terms of individual contracts and could cause for a delay in making an agreement; however, that could also cause some agents and players to crave a deal even more, and is not why early round draft picks and others aren’t signing in 2010.

Whatever reasons NFL management and agents have in delaying signing of rookies and free agents, with the amount of money being offered to players in the NFL, the trend is likely to continue. Every agent is going to try his/her best to bring in the most money for their client(s) as soon as possible, while GM’s and team management are going to save as much money and limit the clubs liability as much and as soon as possible. Even if it means scaring fans and negotiating contracts right before the season begins.

Here is a complete list of all the locations and dates that training camps begin.  All 32 NFL teams open camp by Saturday, August 1.

Feel free to comment and explain why you feel early round NFL contracts are getting negotiated later and later.  Is it uncertainty of the Collective Bargaining Agreement looming overhead?

You can follow Zak on Twitter @ZaKurtz

Sign Here Please: Are NFL Contracts Getting Harder to Negotiate? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Trindon Holliday has chosen to be the guinea pig of this year’s off-season, becoming the first 2010 drafted player to sign, signing a four-year, $2.713 million contract with the Houston Texans. In the NFL, rookie salaries for players drafted in the earlier rounds (especially first round) are typically highly competitive with essentially unlimited upside to earning potential.

As Holliday is the first to sign in 2010, an interesting aspect of this dilemma is when to sign. As an agent, do you advise your client to wait and potentially holdout or take a competitive offer based upon historical circumstances?

It’s difficult, as there are many indirect variables that could affect a given year’s draft scene. Signing early could also trigger an upward or downward swing for all picks above the 197^th spot, benefiting or hurting many athletes drafted in early rounds. The NFL is in stark contrast to that of the NBA where picks are slotted, with contract values descending as picks fall down the draft board regardless of the agent’s negotiation skills or leverage.

As compared to last year, with draft slot 197 (in the 6^th round) going to the Dallas Cowboys pick of Stephen Hodge, a linebacker out of TCU who received a $1.847 million contract for four years and only a $97,000 signing bonus, 2010 seems to be appreciating. Holliday is receiving $866,000 more than he would have last year – assuming all things equal.

His agent, Ian Greengross, made the right decision, because a contract would have to be signed at some point and waiting could be detrimental financially as others drafted well above pick 197 would eventually be signed, potentially hindering Holliday’s earning ability. On the same note, the longer the holdout, the less time the client has to prepare on the field with his new team for his inaugural season in the NFL.

If agents are to learn one thing from holding-out, it is the shining example of Michael Crabtree. As the tenth overall pick last year, he waited until October 7, 2009 to sign with the 49ers. His agent, Eugene Parker, took his position on the matter – disrupting a franchise and to some extent the integrity of the league. The money was there; it was waiting. Crabtree’s people were reckless – even contemplating the idea of having Crabtree sit out 2009 to be eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Greengross was obviously aware of the circumstances. He knew the situation and advised well on the matter. As a lower pick, signing early just makes sense – it locks in the athlete’s contract, allows the athlete to begin involvement with the team, and benchmarks later picks against the contract and the respective signing bonus.

While it is ultimately a mutual decision between the client, his family, and the agent, one has to consider the fact that if an athlete waits, the risk only increases that a contract further down the line in the draft will be offered and signed – leaving the athlete, your client, and the athlete’s family in an unfortunate situation.

The Deal is Done – Trindon Holliday Signs Contract from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

What do Deion Sanders, Michael Crabtree and Dez Bryant all have in common? Aside from the fact that they’ve all eaten dinner at chateau de Primetime, they’re all clients of super agent Eugene Parker.

What do Mike Jenkins, Chris Houston, and Shawn Springs all have in common? They’ve all fired super agent Eugene Parker.

Actually, Maximum Sports Management, which is comprised of Parker and Roosevelt Barnes, has been fired more than 15 times since 2005.

You all set, fellas? How come these dudes keep leaving you?

By most accounts, Parker and Barnes work tirelessly for their players. Their client list coupled with their long and distinguished career is more than enough proof that they do a lot right (I mean, at the very least Parker knows how to dress for success). Still, when guys have been fired by that many clients in that short a timeframe, it’s obvious they’re doing a few things wrong as well.

Unless you interview all of those players, along with Parker and Barnes, you won’t get a clear picture of what led to those firings. Athletes get rid of their agents for all kinds of reasons. Some logical, some ridiculous (shouts to Andre Smith). In either case, the firing indicates that for some reason, the athlete and the agent weren’t a match.

Parker and Barnes aren’t the only hyper-successful agents bleeding clients though.

Creative Artists Agency is widely regarded as the most dominant force in the game. Their client list is bananas. They represent Peyton and Eli Manning, Adrian Peterson, Mario Williams, Patrick Willis, and Antonio Gates among many others. They’ve got a team of agents who are superstars in their own right and every year the draft classes they land are the envy of the industry. Needless to say, the bank accounts of the agents over there aren’t in danger of being overdrawn.

With everything they’ve got going for them, every NFL athlete should jump at the opportunity to have CAA represent them, right? Perhaps, but any athlete interested in being represented by Condon and Co. should probably ask this question:

CAA, with so much going for you, how in the world do you get kicked to the curb so often?

Since 2005, the agents that work at CAA have been fired more than any other group in the industry. They’ve been axed by at least 20 of their athletes in that time, including Thomas Jones, Michael Clayton, Will Allen, Roy Williams, Marc Colombo, Antrel Rolle, and Julius Jones.

For an early first round guy, even with those firings, you’d be out of your mind not to consider them. For guys falling out of the second round, you might want to give another agency some thought.

At CAA, you’d be buried on a depth chart stacked with 1st rounders. You have to realize that no matter how many times an agent tells you you’re his top priority and he’ll do everything in his power to keep you happy, he’s about his business. The guys over at CAA aren’t any different. If you sign with them and they have ten players who earn them more dough than you, you can’t really be salty when you end up on the b-list.

You know how it goes; it’s like the girl who’s only dated athletes but tells you she’s not with you because you’re on the squad. “I’d be with you if you worked at a gas station baby.” C’mon son! You have to know, as soon as that ACL pops she’ll be wearing your teammate’s jersey. Don’t fall for the okie-doke. Like any agent, she’s going to do what’s best for her. So to circle back to the original question – shouldn’t every NFL athlete jump at the opportunity to have CAA represent them – in the words of Borat, maybe “not so much for you.”

Let’s be clear. I’m not picking on these guys. Lots of agents have been fired by a higher percentage of their players than the folks at CAA and Maximum. The fact that these two firms had more clients fire them than most agents ever get hired by, is more a testament to their position atop the industry than an indictment on their ability to hold their clients down. Both agencies are strong options for elite NFL prospects.

Having said that, the ultimate goal is to get athletes to realize that even the sexiest agencies out there have issues that need to be analyzed carefully. Athletes would be wise to dig as deep as possible into the backgrounds of the agents pursuing them before signing an SRA.

And players, take my word for it, just asking the agent why they got fired doesn’t fly. Newsflash, these guys make a living being slick and a lot of them will sell you a dream if you let them. Just keep in mind, everyone’s going to spin the story to fit their own needs. At the very least, make sure you get both sides.

Call the NFLPA and ask questions about your prospective agents. How many times has agent X been fired? How many times has he been brought up on disciplinary charges and why?

Ask the agent every one of these questions, record the answers, then ask some more.

Knowledge is power and the devil is in the details. You can never have enough information on the people who will be handling the business side of your career.

Don’t listen to me though, take it from Hov, who’s earned a few bucks in his career:

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t.

Men Lie. Women Lie. Numbers Don’t. from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Michael Crabtree may have shot himself in the foot when he decided to hold out these past four weeks of the season. The reason for this is that Crabtree pretty much lost all leverage when the 49ers started the season hot. After their winning streak, Eugene Parker knew he had to act quickly and get his client signed. His contract is a rather interesting one and is full of quirky clauses.

Here’s the deal:

• Crabtree signed a 6-year/$32 million contrac.
  • The 6th year is optional based on performance.
  • If a certain amount of stats are reached, the contract will turn to a 5 year/$28 million deal.
  • Discretionary Salary Advance – The 49ers pay Crabtree with the ability to get the cash back (minus the bonuses) in the event of a holdout, suspension, etc.
  • Diva Clause – some cash is tied to this clause which says that if Crabtree does not attend all mandatory functions and does not attend about 90 percent of the Niners’ voluntary events, San Fran can void all escalators tied to the clause.

I like to look at this contract as a “You Should Have Signed Earlier” contract. The reason for this is that many news sources say that the deal offered to Crabtree after the draft did not have any of this special language in it. It was a simple contract.

Sometimes when you roll the dice and take a risk such as the one Crabtree took, you lose. While Crabtree will get paid, he is definitely walking on eggshells in the Bay Area.

The Crabtree Contract: A Breakdown from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When Crabtree eventually signed with the San Francisco 49ers and held a press conference, Parker was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps it is because there is no way to justify such a long holdout when your client accepts an offer that was on the table months ago.

So the Crabtree saga is done…for now.  Time will tell if the 49ers wasted a 1st round pick or not.  But what about this Dez Bryant story?  You know, the Oklahoma State football player who was ruled ineligible for this past weekend’s game (and possibly the entire season) after lying to the NCAA about going to Deion Sanders’ house and training at his facility?  Yeah, he even wrote about it on his Facebook page.

Deion has been training players for the NFL through his company, Prime U.  Pushing cars looks like a big part of the program.

Okay so Dez Bryant gets busted for talking with Deion Sanders…where does Parker come into the picture?  As the Tulsa World reported,

[Deion] Sanders resides in the Dallas area and is associated with sports agent Eugene Parker. As an NFL player, Sanders was Parker’s client. [Dez] Bryant admitted to participating in a training session with Sanders at a Dallas-area gym and to having dinner at Sanders’ home.

Oy vey.  Are we looking too far into the connection, or is there credence to all of this?  Apparently Sanders had a strong hand in Crabtree’s holdout, so perhaps Deion is an intricate part of Parker’s arsenal.  Crabtree, like Bryant also worked out at Prime U.  For now, Parker’s name is not involved in the Dez Bryant issue; however, I am sure that the last thing the agent wants at this point is his name in the media because of any possible connection.  At least Sanders is going to bat for his former agent.

“Eugene has nothing to do with this,” Sanders said in a telephone interview. “Eugene don’t do that. He’s never been in this situation.”

No Media Love For Eugene Parker from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

My colleague Douglas Sanders with The Sports Link introduced me to the new service, which strives to make it easier for athletes to connect with their fans by providing “text only once, but update fans everywhere” convenience.  If an athlete sends a text message to MogoTXT, MogoTXT can automatically forward that message to the athlete’s fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all other websites.

Terrell Owens, Shane Battier, Chris “Beanie” Wells, Santonio Holmes, Jordan Farmar, and even Mr. Holdout, Michael Crabtree, are on board, along with many more athletes and rising journalists.  Some entities use the service more than others.  T.O. is updating the world on his life almost every second of the day…Beanie Wells, not so much.

In addition to providing ease and convenience to athletes, MogoTXT is able to aggregate the fans of an athlete that are located on several different websites into a single large audience to enable the athlete to achieve critical mass much faster for purposes of fan relations, marketing, advertising, etc.  The theory is that the service will empower athletes and their agents to strike better endorsement deals by enhancing athletes’ reach and providing marketing data.

MogoTXT can also facilitate revenue generation for athletes and their selected charities by working with athletes and their agents to feature desirable ads and clickable links to additional content and ads at the bottom of the athletes’ text messages before these messages are displayed on MogoTXT and also distributed to fans on all of the major social networks.

And for the Yao Mings and Kobe Bryants with huge international appeal, MogoTXT can also translate the messages into foreign languages on a near real-time basis.

Best of all, the service is free for its clients and their fans.

Reach Everybody With One Text from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Texas Tech has come out of the NCAA gates softer than expected this season, as they have a record of 2-2 at this point. Last season the team compiled 11 wins and produced star wide out Michael Crabtree, who has yet to officially begin his NFL career after being a hot commodity in the previous draft when the 49ers attempted to sign him. Crabtree and a couple of his former teammates have been glimmering in the spotlight, but not for the right reasons.

The 2-2 Texas Tech squad expected to re-live the glorious season they had last year, but after being defeated by Houston in their last game, players have demonstrated signs of frustration through their Twitter accounts. Marlon Williams posted his reaction on his account after losing the game against Houston and it goes as follows: “WTF I can’t believe what happened man my senior season isn’t goin anything like what I busted my azz for …. New week now F$&@.” Also, Brandon Carter, a senior offensive lineman, had similar comments on his twitter account that have been deleted after fueling some interesting stories. All in all, the frustrations and use of Twitter to exemplify those feelings have resulted in Brandon Carter, a Texas Tech leader, losing his captaincy and also the ability to play next week against New Mexico. Coach Mike Leach has decided that the suspension is appropriate and has banned the team from using Twitter in the future. Leach was noted earlier in July making statements about the detrimental use of Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook and concluded with the statement that he really doesn’t even send emails. A bit ironic for a school with the word TECH in it’s title.

Twitter Troubles Texas Tech from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Not only 49ers faithful, but a lot of readers of SportsAgentBlog.com, are getting crabby with Eugene Parker.  Fans of the game of football cannot stand seeing one of the best wide-receivers in the 2009 NFL Draft class miss the first week of the season, and possibly the remaining fifteen games on the schedule.  A couple of days ago, I had heard that Michael Crabtree holding out until next draft was actually likely to happen, but then when the 49ers knocked off the Cardinals, which did not bode well for my Pick ‘Em score, Crabtree started to show some anxiety.

Yesterday was Crabtree’s birthday, which is probably a strong reason for him leaving the Bay Area.  I would not look too far into it and surmise that his leaving has anything to do with him completely breaking off conversation with the 49ers.

The clock continues to tick, and Crabtree remains far away from competitive football.  Each game Crabtree misses will likely change the 49ers offer to the disgruntled wide-out.  Why pay a player the same amount you were going to pay him before the season, if he is only going to play a fraction of the regular season games?

He left school early, so I guess he can at least tell himself that if he stayed another year at Texas Tech, he would not be making any money, anyway.  At least now, with his student-athlete tag removed, Crabtree can take as much money as he wants from any interested party (I’d bet that Eugene Parker is on that list).

Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Crabtree from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Rookie holdouts are nothing new to the sports world. Every year we see a few or more rookies being advised by their agent/advisor to hold out of camp until a fair contract is signed. Before I jump to support any side, I’d like to present some important points-of-view.

From the athlete side: Professional sports are not just a game, but a business, too. Just like a worker wants his fair pay before starting a new job, so too does the athlete.

From the team/fans side: Although it is a business as well as a game, holding out of camp will pose a threat to the success of the athlete’s career; it will be like starting school late and missing tons of work and valuable information.

USA Today posted a great article about all of the remaining rookie holdouts and how their absence hurts them and the team. Here are those players:

• Aaron Curry, LB, Seattle Seahawks (4th overall pick)

• Andre Smith, T, Cincinnati Bengals (6th overall pick)

• Eugene Monroe, T, Jacksonville Jaguars (8th overall pick)

• B.J. Raji, DL, Green Bay Packers (9th overall pick)

• Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (10th overall pick)

• Aaron Maybin, DE, Buffalo Bills (11th overall pick)

• Malcolm Jenkins, DB, New Orleans Saints (14th overall pick)

As we have all seen in the past, some “holdout” rookies have had tougher times getting starting jobs, playing to their best ability, and overall adapting to the fast-paced National Football League.

• JaMarcus Russell, one of the most hyped quarterbacks in recent years, was drafted 1st overall and has only played 19 games in his three year professional career. (Russell held out)
• Brady Quinn was drafted in the first round of his draft and has only played in 4 games in his three years in the NFL. (Quinn held out)
• Matt Ryan was drafted 3rd overall in the ’08 NFL Draft and DID NOT hold out. He started 16 games in 2008 and has become one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL.
• Joe Flacco was drafted 18th overall in ’08 and DID NOT hold out. Flacco also started 16 games in 2008 and has given the Baltimore Ravens great success on the field.

Now, I ask the players: Is taking a risk of not starting at all or being sub-par worth the money? Yes, you will be getting paid a lot of money to sit on the bench, but it will hit you in 5-6 years when your rookie contract is up and it is time to sign a new one. You will not be seeing those same dollars.

Is It Worth the Money? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules