Lionbackers.com

First a question: Can a club release a player under contract and then not pay him for the rest of his contract?

I asked the same question on this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17296

And JohnHenry provided a response:

Player's receive their salary in 18 weekly installments, their "game cheque", which is paid to all roster players a day or two after each game. Players will have to be on the roster for all 18 games to receive their full salary. If they are released before the end of the season, they are paid only for the games they've played. There is no severance and their contract is nullified if they are released.

The exception is veteran players with 4 or more years experience, whose contracts are guaranteed for last half of each season. Formulated on a sliding scale, the longer he's played in the CFL, the earlier his salary is guaranteed. Even if the veteran is released, the team is obligated to pay his salary for the remainder of the season.

Ok -I read what John Henry wrote

So here is my response based on a player who does not have a gauranteed salary or is not a long time veteran as spelled out by John Henry.

I follow with this thot.

It has been mentioned by several on here that they want to see CFL contracts honored in regards to players or personnel leaving for the NFL.

The statement has also be stated "What good is a contract?"

Well ... it works both ways...A player honors his contract but then the team turns around and releases a player without pay. What good is a contract? I have no problem with a player wanting to bolt back to his home country and play for his childhood, High School and College dream of the NFL. Granted, if he is good enough to play in the NFL he probably wont get cut. However, there is a principle here: If contracts are to be honored by the player, then the club needs to honor it as well and gaurantee the pay to the player that is under contract. Otherwise again "What good is a contract" Seems to me it should work both ways...and until it is...then there should be no complaints about a player taking his chance with the NFL.

And I dont see there ever being any compensation to the CFL, Arena football or any other Pro football league that is going from the NFL.

mightybuck wrote:If contracts are to be honored by the player, then the club needs to honor it as well and gaurantee the pay to the player that is under contract. Otherwise again "What good is a contract" Seems to me it should work both ways...and until it is...then there should be no complaints about a player taking his chance with the NFL.

I have no problem with a player taking his chance with the NFL, provided it is done within the option-year contract window. Contracts are mutual agreements and have binding clauses on both parties. Players under contract are contractualy allowed to seek NFL employment only during that narrow window. CFL contracts also can include signing bonuses and offseason roster bonuses that indicate a financial commitment on both sides to fulfil the terms of the contract.

mightybuck wrote:Ok -I read what John Henry wrote

So here is my response based on a player who does not have a gauranteed salary or is not a long time veteran as spelled out by John Henry.

I follow with this thot.

It has been mentioned by several on here that they want to see CFL contracts honored in regards to players or personnel leaving for the NFL.

The statement has also be stated "What good is a contract?"

Well ... it works both ways...A player honors his contract but then the team turns around and releases a player without pay. What good is a contract? I have no problem with a player wanting to bolt back to his home country and play for his childhood, High School and College dream of the NFL. Granted, if he is good enough to play in the NFL he probably wont get cut. However, there is a principle here: If contracts are to be honored by the player, then the club needs to honor it as well and gaurantee the pay to the player that is under contract. Otherwise again "What good is a contract" Seems to me it should work both ways...and until it is...then there should be no complaints about a player taking his chance with the NFL.

And I dont see there ever being any compensation to the CFL, Arena football or any other Pro football league that is going from the NFL.

The CFL like the NFL don't have guaranteed contracts, it is very much a one way street on that front. However players can take signing bonuses which is how a player can circumvent being released from his contract in a round about way. As we saw with Jason Clermont, the bonus in mid contract kicks in a decision that both sides will have options for the upcoming portion of the contract, the player with the guaranteed money, the team paying the bonus based on the players skill level.

About all the contract means is the team owns the player's CFL butt at the agreed upon salary until the term of the contract has expired or until the team decides they don't want the player....whichever comes first. As for the guarantees for veterans of longer service it isn't all that often a player benefits. By Week 9 the team usually knows if they want the player to remain on their team for the balance of the season. If they don't or decide the player's SMS hit can be better used for the balance of the season it usually means termination. It's a very rare occasion that you see a team release a player after the salary is guaranteed. You're more likely to see teams release players early before they have to pay the salary for the balance of the year.

Hambone wrote:About all the contract means is the team owns the player's CFL butt at the agreed upon salary until the term of the contract has expired or until the team decides they don't want the player....whichever comes first. As for the guarantees for veterans of longer service it isn't all that often a player benefits. By Week 9 the team usually knows if they want the player to remain on their team for the balance of the season. If they don't or decide the player's SMS hit can be better used for the balance of the season it usually means termination. It's a very rare occasion that you see a team release a player after the salary is guaranteed. You're more likely to see teams release players early before they have to pay the salary for the balance of the year.

Ask Barrin Simpson about that, as much as he and the Bombers would have liked to have been parted, the guaranteed portion kept in Winnipeg until the off season.

mightybuck wrote:Ok -I read what John Henry wrote



Well ... it works both ways...A player honors his contract but then the team turns around and releases a player without pay. What good is a contract? I have no problem with a player wanting to bolt back to his home country and play for his childhood, High School and College dream of the NFL. Granted, if he is good enough to play in the NFL he probably wont get cut. However, there is a principle here: If contracts are to be honored by the player, then the club needs to honor it as well and gaurantee the pay to the player that is under contract. Otherwise again "What good is a contract" Seems to me it should work both ways...and until it is...then there should be no complaints about a player taking his chance with the NFL.

And I dont see there ever being any compensation to the CFL, Arena football or any other Pro football league that is going from the NFL.

I 100% wholeheartedly agree.