I was trying to medicate my football withdrawal syndrome by pulling out “Jerry Maguire” yesterday…the film that made “Show me the money!” a national catchphrase…And I got to thinking…
No football for how long? Hard enough for fans to contemplate…but after letting our previous piece on Domonique Foxworth’s frustration with the current state of CBA negotiations percolate, I still had a question…
How do Ravens players get paid, and does a lock-out really affect their income in the “off-season”..?
Our resident tipster Carl Tipton actually raised the question first. So I started digging…
According to the Associate Press archives, a player gets paid his whole annual salary during the 17 weeks that make up the regular season. That means 17 separate “game checks”…That doesn’t cover what they do with the team before and after the season — they get separate compensation for those activities.
As for signing bonus and other bonuses: those can be paid as a lump sum or spread out over multiple weeks, depending on the terms of a player’s contract. And if an athlete earns incentive payments — say, by playing a certain number of games or achieving other goals specified in his contract — he usually has to wait until the season ends to cash in.
Do players get paid separately for preseason activities, training camps and postseason play? Yes. In the case of offseason training activities (OTA’s) and training camps, this is where the players who are free agents or who have smaller contracts will be hurting the most if the labor lock-out extends past March and into July.
Perhaps just as damaging to the less rich of the NFL union, health insurance benefits will stop being paid for by the owners during a lock-out.
Some employees of the Ravens who are not players will suffer loss of income, too, if the lock-out becomes reality. These positions include those related to player lodging and equipment, physical therapy and training, and an undefined number of assistant coaches.
And players’ agents, like Jerry Maguire, will be sweating out a lock-out with the rest of the Ravens.
* * *
“Lombardi” note: Tony Lombardi of Ravens 24×7 got my attention with a recommedation for us to spend 90 minutes with the HBO documentary on the legendary head coach Vince Lombardi:
” Anyone seen the HBO Documentary on Vince Lombardi appropriately titled, Lombardi? If not hit up the HBO website and find out when it airs next. I was riveted for 90 minutes and the truth be told I was afraid to excuse myself to the rest room in fear that I’d miss something. And I would have. The documentary does an excellent job of detailing the chronology of Lombardi’s development, strengths and vulnerabilities.”
Lombardi on Lombardi! I’m there, Tony… Anything to fill the football void in Baltimore right now!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
