Bell's Disastrous Holdout

[Legacy User]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/280 ... eveon-bell

Le'Veon Bell must have been hoping he would have an Emmitt Smith-style holdout.

Smith held out of Cowboys training camp for a new contract after winning his second straight rushing title and the first of three Super Bowl rings in January 1993. The Cowboys played hardball and tried to replace the future Hall of Famer and all-time rushing leader with a fourth-round rookie named Derrick Lassic. They even force-fed Lassic the ball when Smith skipped the first two games of the regular season, as if to prove a point.

The Cowboys proved a point, all right. They scored a total of 26 points in back-to-back losses. Charles Haley blew his stack in the locker room after the second loss, shouting, "We're never gonna win with this f--king rookie!"

Jerry Jones then flew to Atlanta personally to bring Smith back to the Cowboys and make him the NFL's highest-paid running back for the princely '90s sum of $13.6 million over four years.

"I'm glad you're getting this, Emmitt," Jones said at the post-signing press conference. "Are you happy?"

"Very much," Smith replied.

Maybe if Bell had returned after two weeks, when the Steelers were 0-1-1 and James Conner was coming off a bad game in the Chiefs loss, the story of his 2018 season would be all paychecks and obsequiously purring employers.

But Bell decided to hold out past the point of diminishing returns and common sense.

So instead of a Haley trashing his replacement and pounding the lockers for his return, Bell's teammates have moved on.

"I love playing with Conner," left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I don't have anything to say about Le'Veon. I don't even know what shape he is in right now."

Instead of a Jones contritely asking him if he wants an extra pillow to rest his contract-signing hand upon, Bell has Mike Tomlin scoffing at his absence by saying, "We need volunteers, not hostages."

Instead of sympathetic columnists (like me) and talk-show personalities beating our "pay-the-man" tom-toms for him, Bell has been rendered so irrelevant for so many weeks that he is now the butt of Rob Riggle skits.

Instead of a triumph for himself and future franchise-tag objectors, Bell has trapped himself in the most disastrous holdout in NFL history.

He has cost himself $855,529 per week during his 10-week holdout. That's $8.6 million in sunk earnings and counting. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which some future contract makes up for the money he has passed up this season.

Sure, Bell might have risked his future earning potential with an injury. That argument made sense in training camp, and maybe the first game check or two was worth the risk-reward ratio. But giving up $8.6 million today to avoid the risk of losing future earnings is like cutting off your foot to prevent an ingrown toenail. Or as economic experts like to say: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

But wait: It gets worse for Bell. Not only has Conner stepped in for the Steelers and provided nearly identical production to Bell for less than 10 percent of the cost...

The Broncos stuck an old Terrell Davis jersey on undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay, and Lindsay instantly became the AFC's third-leading rusher. (Conner leads the conference.)
The Patriots solved an injury crunch at running back by sliding wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson into the I-formation with little drop-off in production.
The Falcons replaced the injured Devonta Freeman—one of the NFL's highest-paid running backs—with a platoon of Tevin Coleman and rookie Ito Smith, who have combined for 880 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns.
The 49ers replaced injured free agent Jerick McKinnon (who signed a four-year, $30-million deal in the offseason) with undrafted sophomore Matt Breida, who ranks fourth in the NFC in rushing and averages 5.5 yards per carry.
It's as if the entire NFL rose up to prove the point that running back talent is plentiful and overpaying for even a great one is ill-advised. There will be bidders for Bell's services in 2019, but few will back up the money truck after seeing how easily Bell (and Freeman, and McKinnon) was replaced.

Bell has passed up $8.6 million and counting to ride his Jet Ski and watch the market for his services crash.

Extending the holdout this long has been a tragic miscalculation by both Bell and his agent, who—based on Jesse Washington's profile in The Undefeated—appears to be using Bell's contract to advance a philosophical/sociopolitical cause, which, while laudable, is a little too broad to be shouldered by one client.

Things were different in Emmitt Smith's time. Running backs didn't grow on trees back then. Or if they did, NFL teams did not yet know how easy they were to pluck.

Before Smith, Eric Dickerson set the gold standard for running back contract disputes. He held out from the Rams for two games in 1985. Two years later he made it clear he was unhappy with his contract, prompting the Rams to engineer an epic trade that landed him with the Colts as the NFL's highest-paid running back. Then he held out of Colts camp until the team suspended him for six games (Dickerson holdouts always came with a side of public nastiness), but the Colts relented during a poor season and upped Dickerson's earnings even further.

The Cowboys, Rams and Colts didn't have a Conner on their bench, because NFL benches were not full of Conner/Lindsay/Breida types and the NFL was more run-oriented back then, so they relented and paid their star running backs. The Steelers, hamstrung by the rules of the franchise tag, couldn't negotiate a new deal during the season even if Conner didn't become the feel-good story of the season. That makes Bell's continued absence even more inexplicable.

No list of disastrous holdouts is complete without at least a mention of JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders' first-round selection in 2007 held out through his entire rookie training camp before signing a deal with about $31 million in guarantees at the start of that season.

Russell turned out to have weight and general workplace-readiness issues; in retrospect, showing up for camp on time probably would not have saved his career. From Russell's standpoint, holding out for the maximum dollar amount before anyone saw him at work was the smartest possible decision.

That's how bad the Bell situation has become: Russell looks good by comparison.

Bell tweeted "Fairwell Miami" on Monday, so he may finally be ending his self-imposed exile one week before he would be forced to return to qualify for free agency in 2019.

He'll have to salvage what he can from this season: mending fences with teammates, contributing what he can to the Steelers' playoff run, re-establishing himself as someone who deserves to be the NFL's highest-paid running back, convincing potential employers that paying him top dollar makes more sense than cobbling together a cost-effective committee of mid-draft rookies and converted wide receivers.

With Conner playing so well, the Steelers might even deactivate Bell, at least when he first returns, in the name of unity and continuity. Had he ended his holdout at the start of the season, or even in Week 2, all would be long forgiven. Now Bell faces an uncertain welcome.

That's a long way from Emmitt getting Jerrah to bow before him or Dickerson making the Rams and Colts cry uncle. It's a lot more like what happened with John Riggins in 1981.

Riggins held out for the entire 1980 season in a bitter contract dispute with the Redskins. It was an ugly stalemate, with the NFLPA filing a grievance and many of the fans of that era turning on the bruising rusher because fans in those days were told free agency was evil and holdouts like Riggins were practically grave robbers.

Then Riggins suddenly showed up for minicamp in 1981, with no guarantee of a raise from his $350,000 annual salary.

"I'm bored, broke and back," the future Hall of Famer famously said. He added that he took some classes at the University of Kansas during his time off.

"I got a 'B' in my money management class, but then I didn't have any to manage," he said.

Riggins lost the grievance, never got his 1980 money back, and ended up signing a contract not too different from his pre-1980 deal. But at least he and the Redskins enjoyed their greatest seasons after the dispute. Unless they come together for a Super Bowl run this year, Bell and the Steelers won't even have that.

Bell won't be broke when he returns, and he's probably not bored. But this catastrophe of a holdout was a master's class in money management and holdout history. And Bell paid some steep tuition.

[Legacy User]

Hey Steel, That was a great article. Thanks for sharing it. Bleacher Report is cut above most of the online sports sites. There are always GMs who will role the dice on a guy like Bell, but if I were one of them, I wouldn't come within 100 miles of him. I hope that he ends up in Oakland.

[stillthere]

Hey Steel, That was a great article. Thanks for sharing it. Bleacher Report is cut above most of the online sports sites. There are always GMs who will role the dice on a guy like Bell, but if I were one of them, I wouldn't come within 100 miles of him. I hope that he ends up in Oakland.

Might actually be a good fit in Oakland since Gruden runs his version of the west coast offense. I don't wish ill upon Bell but I would not be able to trust him (as a teammate) going into a season after the crap he pulled this season.

[Legacy User]

That was a good read. Did not know this about JR. I have been wishy washy about the whole LB saga.
If he was my son I could understand what he tried to do.
We had one guy at work do something similar where he took a new job ....it actually made us better but in no way can I compare a Steel Mill to Bell Cow RB.

[stillthere]

That was a good read. Did not know this about JR. I have been wishy washy about the whole LB saga.
If he was my son I could understand what he tried to do.
We had one guy at work do something similar where he took a new job ....it actually made us better but in no way can I compare a Steel Mill to Bell Cow RB.

Jack Kent Cook I believe made Riggins sign a deal with like one dollar or one cent less than his previous contract. After telling Riggo he was a good kid I also believe Riggin's mom called cook and asked him to take her son back to get him off the couch. Living in DC you get more details from the old Redskins than in other places.

[kev4heels]

I still can't understand how Bell thought this plan was monetarily smart to execute.
The money he has lost will account for the "extra" guaranteed money.he thinks he was going to make next year in FA.

[Legacy User]

I still can't understand how Bell thought this plan was monetarily smart to execute.
The money he has lost will account for the "extra" guaranteed money.he thinks he was going to make next year in FA.

Pretty easy, actually. He completely over valued himself. He let his ego get in the way and lost sight of reality.

[jebrick]

Should have listened to his Mom.

[jewelsongs]

These numbers are a little like winning the lottery. Bell is going to get enough money to be comfortable for the rest of his life. He is getting very bad advice now. He may have lost some of what he could have gotten, but will still receive more than most of us will make in a lifetime. He needs to find advisors who can help him manage the money he gets. The NFL is a business, and I don't begrudge him for trying to get paid. He gambled and lost, but he will still hit the lottery. I just hope he helps us win a Super Bowl.

[USS Steelerworks]

What are the teams that are seriously going to shell out the kind of money Bell is looking for that have a running back position that is open going into 2019?

The only ones I can think of are the Jets, Buffalo, Oakland and Indianapolis. And even then Buffalo has stated McCoy figures into their 2019 plans and Oakland after a fire sale is really in no position to compete in their division next season and therefore might pass on a luxury signing like a high dollar RB. Just about every NFC team either has a stable RB or has recently drafted one with a high pick or has no history of handing out major guaranteed money for the running back position (ie GB).

It seems to me the market Bell is going to be heading into is a small one that doesn’t lend itself to a strong negotiating position. Then again maybe NFL teams will prove to be dumber than I give them credit for.

[Legacy User]

If dumb fuck Haley was still at Cleveland, I would say the "way-under-the-Cap" Browns would be a potential landing place.

But now that Chub is looking like a decent running back, I would say the Indy Colts are the best fit (they have their franchise QB in place).

[Legacy User]

I'm sure someone will overpay for him as well. But I just don't get it. Not just Conner, but the entire league has shown that a team does not need to break the bank at the running back position. If a team was poised to make a run at the SB, and only need to fill a spot at rb, Bell would be a great addition...at a price somewhat lower than his bloated expectations.

He is a total ass clown, but he is easily good enough to carry the rock for 1200+ yards behind a decent line. He is a top 5 back, easily. If he participated in camp and preseason, he would likely have put up numbers close to JC.

It is doubtful that he would have been an improvement since he never put up Conner-like numbers. But he still would have been successful.

He is simply not worth what he thinks he is worth, however, for any team.

[Legacy User]

That was a good read. Did not know this about JR. I have been wishy washy about the whole LB saga.
If he was my son I could understand what he tried to do.
We had one guy at work do something similar where he took a new job ....it actually made us better but in no way can I compare a Steel Mill to Bell Cow RB.

Jack Kent Cook I believe made Riggins sign a deal with like one dollar or one cent less than his previous contract. After telling Riggo he was a good kid I also believe Riggin's mom called cook and asked him to take her son back to get him off the couch. Living in DC you get more details from the old Redskins than in other places.

great stuff

[LakecrestSteeler]

I still can't understand how Bell thought this plan was monetarily smart to execute.
The money he has lost will account for the "extra" guaranteed money.he thinks he was going to make next year in FA.

Pretty easy, actually. He completely over valued himself. He let his ego get in the way and lost sight of reality.

I actually think he (Bell) is a victim. We won’t know it until after he leaves the game, but I suspect his agent is something of a film flam man. He got Bell suckered in with the socio-economic heart strings and that he needs to stand up for the African American community. It feels like he was preyed upon by his agent who had an agenda, which was not in his clients best interest.

I have nothing to back these claims up, but I have read about his agent and something doesn’t add up, and I remember a Thanksgiving letter Bell penned to his mother. He left the beaten path and got bamboozled.

Thanks for the article. It was a good read. Just heard M. Irvin talking about it yesterday too.

[Kodiak]

I have nothing to back these claims up, but I have read about his agent and something doesn’t add up..

That sounds completely out of left field.....although I could see possibly, given agents get about 3% of a deal like that, that his agent was using Bell to try and make a name for himself?

Still doesn't explain the holdout. Maybe they were thinking PIT would struggle without him, and then throw in like another $3M to get Bell to sign and be the savior? No one here thought Conner would do half of what he's done.

[strom detmer]

"The King and the land are one," - Merlin the Gay Wizard of Camelot

As I half-heartedly farted during the Red Zone TD compilation of week 6 last year I had a thought, and after that thought I threw away my canned gumbo, but then the next thought was, " Fucking A this Steelers defense could become the lifeblood of post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh after 95 percent of our population perishes when terrorists straif the next Hands Across America, easy pickens right? Think Full Metal Jacket helicopter gunner, "Get some! Get Some!" Heheh oh man, hey did you know that the dude that plays that gunner was supposed to be the Drill Sergeant? Yeah for like 6 months he was living breathing and not being as good as R Lee Ermey. He had no idea he was not even close to being as good as R Lee, hell R Lee was just a stage prop at that point. 6 MONTHS, holy balls imagine walking around for six months thinking, I am the man, you all just wait til I fucking hold out too. Fuck you you think this movie is gonna go smooth trying to be the greatest war movie ever? just because it has Stanley Roethlisberger directing? and Ryan Shazier starring as Too Boo Coo fresh off his single handed ending of Jeremy Hill's career? Well fuck you, I need paid like the scene chomping mother fucker I am about to become, and my agent agreed and then ...

....what the fuck am I talking about? OH yeah, so last year I started creating an existence where the swarming, starving masses would not be able to steal my precious canned gumbos, bisques, and stews and in this imaginary world I commanded a band of mohawked, flamethrower-brandishing marauders to mount their diesel-belching dune buggies and watch HD versions of old games just from that week up until now with me. Anyone else interested in driving a buggy and watching HD commercial-less versions of the games since then? .. cause honestly, Matt Lauer and Kevin Spacey aint coming back, admit it, might as well watch Colbert dazzle us with an embryonic dynasty that implodes violently upon itself as the NFL immerses our collective grief over the loss of our greatest player in the utter chaos of complete silence.

Up to now, where trying to top itself because Goodell fears Conner may be better than even Shazier, Goodell has mandated the officials working our game to operate under Sharia law thus adding those great retributive penal orders like stoning, beheading, amputating and paralyzing our franchise players to every game. Seriously though, if you would like to gander with me, let me know and I can hook it up. I know! Molly with liquid valium is the red zone! Welcome home Bell! 2nd string mother fucker.

[Legacy User]

People on ludes should not drive

[USS Steelerworks]

I still can't understand how Bell thought this plan was monetarily smart to execute.
The money he has lost will account for the "extra" guaranteed money.he thinks he was going to make next year in FA.

Pretty easy, actually. He completely over valued himself. He let his ego get in the way and lost sight of reality.

I actually think he (Bell) is a victim. We won’t know it until after he leaves the game, but I suspect his agent is something of a film flam man. He got Bell suckered in with the socio-economic heart strings and that he needs to stand up for the African American community. It feels like he was preyed upon by his agent who had an agenda, which was not in his clients best interest.

I have nothing to back these claims up, but I have read about his agent and something doesn’t add up, and I remember a Thanksgiving letter Bell penned to his mother. He left the beaten path and got bamboozled.

Thanks for the article. It was a good read. Just heard M. Irvin talking about it yesterday too.

I do agree with a lot of this. In the articles I’ve read Bell’s agent does seem to have an agenda that is beyond getting the best deal for his client and more fighting the current NFL system and other social injustices he thinks the NFL system perpetuates. And at the end of the day I think Bell has taken the stance regarding his contract that he will take whatever advice his agent recommends.

I do think this whole matter with Bell perfectly illustrates the need to revamp the current CBA regarding the franchise tag. IMO at minimum a player should only be allowed to have the franchise tag applied to him once and not back to back years. It is ridiculous the team and player should have to go through this song and dance two years in a row. If you can’t come to a long term agreement after one season of the franchise tag why would one think a 2nd year of playing under it is going to change something in negotiations?

[Legacy User]

These numbers are a little like winning the lottery. Bell is going to get enough money to be comfortable for the rest of his life. He is getting very bad advice now. He may have lost some of what he could have gotten, but will still receive more than most of us will make in a lifetime. He needs to find advisors who can help him manage the money he gets. The NFL is a business, and I don't begrudge him for trying to get paid. He gambled and lost, but he will still hit the lottery. I just hope he helps us win a Super Bowl.

I have a very strong feeling that, no matter how much Bell makes, he will be broke by age 40.

Many many pro athletes end up down and out financially, even after earning tens of millions.

- High Taxes
- High commissions fees (agents, lawyers, accountants)
- High cost of living (mansions, cars, baby-mamas, child support payments, etc)
- Bad restaurant investments

and a whole host of other horrible decisions, make all that "lottery money" go up in smoke pretty quickly

[Legacy User]

fighting the current NFL system and other social injustices he thinks the NFL system perpetuates.

If he thinks he's fighting against NFL economic injustices to its players...someone should remind him that everything in an NFL/Player agreement was collectively bargained.

I actually do think that the multi-year tags are a crock. But what did the NFLPA GET ADDED to the contract that they wanted by letting this be negotiated IN? Was it higher percentage of revenues? Absent access to negotiating session dialogues, we won't truly know.

There's really no social fight to be made...they just have to have better reps negotiating for them.

[Legacy User]

fighting the current NFL system and other social injustices he thinks the NFL system perpetuates.

If he thinks he's fighting against NFL economic injustices to its players...someone should remind him that everything in an NFL/Player agreement was collectively bargained.

I actually do think that the multi-year tags are a crock. But what did the NFLPA GET ADDED to the contract that they wanted by letting this be negotiated IN? Was it higher percentage of revenues? Absent access to negotiating session dialogues, we won't truly know.

There's really no social fight to be made...they just have to have better reps negotiating for them.

all true ---

on top of that, the NFL players like to compare themselves to NBA players and say how much they are underpaid.

But that's a matter of economics/supply & demand, not "injustice"

There are about 10 guys on an NBA roster, with very little turnover from year to year. It's EXTREMELY HARD to get one of those spots.

In the NFL, there's 50+ guys, and the turnover is constant (except for QB position) -- so, the chance to "grab your money" in the NFL is very fleeting.

Bell and his agent must think he is an NBA player -- wrong sport, bud - and wrong economics.

They must learn the hard lesson of supply/demand --- and hopefully realize that they totally fucked up

[Pabst]

Deleted. Wrong thread.

[Ice]

Max contract superstars in the NBA are game changers. Accumulating a couple makes you a contender; accumulating three makes you a Finals team.

Elite (even fringe) quarterbacks, and (to a lesser extent) pass rushers and left tackles, generational secondary players make you a contender with a couple in place, and a Super Bowl favorite team with a few.

In both leagues, these are the compensated players, financially. The ones with real leverage and negotiating power. The rest are complimentary (and often interchangeable) pieces.

Obviously, they're two different sports, but whatever league and sport you're talking, the real difference makers are pretty well taken care of where money is concerned.

[Drummer Boy]

If he thinks he's fighting against NFL economic injustices to its players...someone should remind him that everything in an NFL/Player agreement was collectively bargained.

I actually do think that the multi-year tags are a crock. But what did the NFLPA GET ADDED to the contract that they wanted by letting this be negotiated IN? Was it higher percentage of revenues? Absent access to negotiating session dialogues, we won't truly know.

There's really no social fight to be made...they just have to have better reps negotiating for them.

That doesn't follow. They're not trying to reopen the agreement.

If I have to bargain or vote for for an improved medical plan in my union contract by giving up salary or other important benefits, does that mean I can't fight for Medicare for All in other venues?

(This is assuming the agent and/or Bell are being honest about their intentions. I have no idea whether that is so.)

[LakecrestSteeler]

fighting the current NFL system and other social injustices he thinks the NFL system perpetuates.

If he thinks he's fighting against NFL economic injustices to its players...someone should remind him that everything in an NFL/Player agreement was collectively bargained.

I actually do think that the multi-year tags are a crock. But what did the NFLPA GET ADDED to the contract that they wanted by letting this be negotiated IN? Was it higher percentage of revenues? Absent access to negotiating session dialogues, we won't truly know.

There's really no social fight to be made...they just have to have better reps negotiating for them.

I like the multi-year tags. It is the only sports business that has such a strong check against a player leaving. Sure it could be tweaked to strike a better balance. I recommended in other posts that the maybe the tag should be guaranteed for 2 or 3 years. That would balance the powers out a bit more and hedge against injury.

But the main point of the tag is that a city has the power to keep their face of the league player. They need to pay, but they can keep that player with in the structure of the salary caps.

[LakecrestSteeler]

Prime nails it!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/21st-and-prime/0ap3000000985406/Deion-on-Bell-s-contract-situation-He-played-it-wrong

[USS Steelerworks]

More to the point of why I think Bell’s agent is pulling the strings during this hold out....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theundefea ... uggle/amp/

[Legacy User]

More to the point of why I think Bell’s agent is pulling the strings during this hold out....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theundefea ... uggle/amp/

So NFL owners are plantation owners, enslaving black athletes. Got it. And what has Bell's agent done other than enslave him mentally and make a shit-ton of money off him? I find it highly hypocritical of the agent to point a bejeweled finger at NFL owners for paying athletes millions of dollars while the agent takes money FROM the athletes and tells them what to do. The agent sounds more like the slave owner to me. Tell me Bell's agent isn't exploiting him.

[stairway 2 seven]

This agent's reputation and future as an agent is riding on the outcome of bell's next contract. He may be the agent known as ultimately costing his client millions of dollars.

[Thrillsseeker]

Prime nails it!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/21st-and-prime/0ap3000000985406/Deion-on-Bell-s-contract-situation-He-played-it-wrong

"He played it wrong!"

Yes he did. The icing on the cake will be us hoisting #7 while Bell gets absolutely nothing.

If we don't hoist #7 he'll take all the blame.

Either way, he loses. Fucking moron.