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Once again, fans line up behind the laundry.
Whenever players want more money, plenty of fans tend to side with the team. They presume the player is being greedy. Being selfish. Wanting more than he deserves, operating under the presumption that he’s already getting more than he deserves. Screwing up the salary cap, and making it harder for the team to compete.
On Friday, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel said he’s getting death threats and racist comments due to his effort to get a new contract from the team. On Monday, Titans receiver A.J. Brown started hearing it, because he has dared to withhold services from the team’s offseason program as he tries to get the contract he has earned.
“I’m a diva and a bad teammate all of sudden, lol ok,” Brown tweeted. “Do what you have to do then and so will I.”
Folks, a player who is trying to get paid isn’t a diva, a bad teammate, or anything else that would justify a negative label. Players have limited opportunities to get paid. They need to take full advantage of those opportunities.
They have no ownership, no equity. They get one or two contracts, if they’re lucky, beyond their slotted rookie deals. There’s nothing wrong with doing whatever they have to do to get the best deals they can.
Especially in April, when the player is fully within his contractual rights to stay away from the offseason program.
So let’s lay of Brown or Samuel or any other player who is trying to get paid. They’ve earned it. They deserve it. The salary cap is moving higher than ever. The owners are making more than ever. Let’s not get worked up about the efforts of the men who play the game to get paid fairly and appropriately for doing so.
