Tuesday Thoughts

The Joshua Cribbs situation in Cleveland is the latest in a series of 2009 offseason dramas for players asking for/requesting/demanding new contracts due to a change in circumstances from when they happily signed.  The Cribbs case, however, brings an interesting twist: an alleged promise from an owner and the previous administration that the contract would be replaced with an upgraded one.

Having been part of difficult situations such as this in the past, this is a problem. I don’t know what was or wasn’t promised to Cribbs, but this issue strikes at the heart of player-management relations: trust. Players do not have to like decisions made by management and coaches, but they do have to trust them. If trust is broken, especially with a popular and productive player, the impact resonates poorly in the locker room.

It’s not hard to see how this happens. A player has a conversation with management or a coach about a situation, whether it’s his contract, playing time or some other issue. The front office employee or coach steers the conversation away from an uncomfortable and confrontational one and leaves things unresolved in order to have a friendly talk with a pleasant ending. Following that, the player and coach/management may walk away from the meeting with completely divergent views about what was just said. 

Difficult conversations are thorny but necessary. I’ve always believed that players have to hear what they truly need to hear rather than what they want to hear. Many players have been surrounded by enablers telling them what they want to hear, how they are underrated, underpaid, underappreciated, etc. Agents are worried about telling players differently for fear of being fired; others are worried about reaction from the player. In truth, although not easy at the time, players usually end up respecting the people who are more honest and unfiltered than the ones who are not.

Cribbs, who is admirably attending workouts in Cleveland while the issue simmers, may have latched on to a version of a conversation with his owner or management that he felt directly or indirectly implied a contract adjustment. The other party to that conversation apparently never felt that was indicated. Two completely distinct views of a conversation may have ensued, both probably reasonable.

Although admittedly difficult and tense, there is no substitute for open and honest communication. Too often, what’s left unsaid is more important than what is said. …

Friday’s decision in the StarCaps case makes me wonder why it ever ended up in front of a federal judge in Minnesota. Although not a complete victory for the NFL – the case was remanded back to state court to address some drug-testing issues involving Pat and Kevin Williams’ use of the banned substance Bumetanide – the ruling affirms the most important tenet that the league hoped to preserve: that the standard for banned substances in player’ bodies is strict liability, meaning players are responsible for what is in their bodies, no matter the reason for the positive test.

Although the case shockingly made it out of the collectively bargained process of binding arbitration, the zero-tolerance policy has not been altered. All players are responsible for what’s in their bodies, whether told about it or not, whether it’s in a diet pill or not, whether it’s under a different name or not, whether it’s a diuretic or a steroid. 

While the case now winds its way through the Minnesota state court, the overriding policy of strict liability for what is in players’ bodies remains intact, teeing up another issue on the collective bargaining agenda between the owners and players to deal with. …

Old friend Dre’ Bly found work with the 49ers, albeit at the expense of another older cornerback, Walt Harris, who unfortunately tore his ACL, a potential death-knell to his career as he approaches age 35. This situation appears to be perhaps the only way players such as Bly, 32, are going to sign contracts this year – injuries to other players. Age appears to be a driving factor in keeping many veterans on the sidelines while teams look to build with younger players. Although the 49ers have decided to replace one older player with another rather than look to their younger cornerbacks, many teams feel differently.

Bly is another shining example of how one team’s treasure soon becomes its trash. Two short years ago, the Broncos signed Bly to a stunning five-year, $33-million deal with $16M guaranteed. Bly played two years of that five-year deal before being released in February. He now signs with the 49ers for a one-year contract worth $845,000, the league minimum for a player with 10 years’ experience.

While Brett Favre decides whether to un-retire, Bly is a lucky one of several accomplished veteran players who have found someone – the 49ers in this case – to “un-retire” him. Former Pro Bowl players such as Derrick Brooks, Marvin Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Chris McAlister, Deuce McAllister and Warrick Dunn remain “retired” as that call to un-retire has not yet come. And it may only result, as in Bly’s case, from the misfortune of another.

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