ET III ( in his own words)

[GeekHawk]

So, people (famous rich people, that is) get ridiculous insurance policies all the time - why can't a team put an injury insurance in a contract? Then not be liable against the salary cap for the insurance payout in case it's needed? Seems like a win-win-win to me (gotta throw Lloyd's of London in the win column too since I imagine they don't actually lose $$ on those aforementioned ridiculous insurance policies...)

 

[Ad Hawk]

So, people (famous rich people, that is) get ridiculous insurance policies all the time - why can't a team put an injury insurance in a contract? Then not be liable against the salary cap for the insurance payout in case it's needed? Seems like a win-win-win to me (gotta throw Lloyd's of London in the win column too since I imagine they don't actually lose $$ on those aforementioned ridiculous insurance policies...)

Insurance policies are based on % of chance the event insured happens. The likelihood of an injury in the NFL that ends a career is probably quite high (as opposed to life insurance when you're 35 or 40), thus the insurance would cost nearly the same amount as the actual settlement.

 

[RolandDeschain]

So, people (famous rich people, that is) get ridiculous insurance policies all the time - why can't a team put an injury insurance in a contract? Then not be liable against the salary cap for the insurance payout in case it's needed? Seems like a win-win-win to me (gotta throw Lloyd's of London in the win column too since I imagine they don't actually lose $$ on those aforementioned ridiculous insurance policies...)

The irony is that Earl Thomas can do that for Earl Thomas. Some players DO pay for injury insurance on themselves. If he's so damn worried about it, he should pony up for it.

 

[PlinytheCenter]

Show up or shut up.

 

[JGreen79]

The man signed a contract- live up to it and honor it- you sure would not see the Hawks getting away with NOT living up to it!


Far as I am concerned I don't care if I ever see him play for us again

M.M.

... I'm pretty sure the the Hawks got away with not living up to a contact just this last off season. It's a business, and both parties are looking to save/earn as much money as possible...

 

[RolandDeschain]

... I'm pretty sure the the Hawks got away with not living up to a contact just this last off season. It's a business, and both parties are looking to save/earn as much money as possible...

Employers fire employees who have contracts with the employer all the time. Is this supposed to be something unusual? Under-performing employees whom you've tried and been unable to improve getting fired is NORMAL. If you can't do your job for an extended period of time due to injury, people get fired for that all the time, too.

 

[oldhawkfan]

From reading his “statement “, I got the distinct feeling that Earl feels entitled. Just another millennial who feels entitled. He’s under contract to play this year. He’s entitled to play out the contract and negotiate anther one. That.Is. All.

 

[KiwiHawk]

Maybe Earl needs to work a real job for a bit to gain some perspective on things. Real people in real jobs don't have their future guaranteed. People can be laid off at any time for pretty much any reason.

When it comes down to the CBA I am always on the side of the players - they deserve to make all the money they can. But now that the CBA is agreed upon, the players need to fulfill their end of the deal by operating within the terms of the CBA - particularly with regard to salary caps.

Perhaps in the next CBA they can add provisions for players who have career-ending injuries to be paid out a percentage of their average salary over the past 3 seasons or the average salary of that position (whichever is more) for the full term of their contract, but have it NOT count toward the salary cap. That would be a great thing for players.

Bur that doesn't exist now. What exists now are rules that put us in a place like where we are with Kam Chancellor - eating a bunch of salary cap that makes the team less competitive. Long-term guarantees are basically a bet, and having just lost a big bet, Earl wants the Seahawks to do the same thing again.

Sorry, Earl, but players generally come in two categories: They save their money and have a nice nest egg after their career is finished, or they spend it like water. In the first case, having a few more million makes no quality-of-life difference because the player will still be plenty loaded such that their offspring will not have to work for generations. In the second case, a few more million won't matter because it'll be pissed down the same hole the other money was.

In either case, they money really doesn't matter. If he plays this year he makes $8 million. On my salary it takes me about the average male life expectancy to make that much money. If I can have a decent house and raise a fine family on my salary, then he bloody well can on $8 million on top of what he's earned already.

 

[West TX Hawk]

So, people (famous rich people, that is) get ridiculous insurance policies all the time - why can't a team put an injury insurance in a contract? Then not be liable against the salary cap for the insurance payout in case it's needed? Seems like a win-win-win to me (gotta throw Lloyd's of London in the win column too since I imagine they don't actually lose $$ on those aforementioned ridiculous insurance policies...)

The irony is that Earl Thomas can do that for Earl Thomas. Some players DO pay for injury insurance on themselves. If he's so damn worried about it, he should pony up for it.

This. Pay for a policy and quit your whining and bitching Earl.

 

[toffee]

Earl's letter highlight a critical point:

He neglected that his past performance and contribution were compensated by his past contracts. In his case, very well compensated to the tune of being the highest paid FS in the league. He is refusing to honor the past year of his current contract in fear that he might get hurt by playing this season which could jeopardize his future earning.

What about the Hawks that paid for and counted on his service for the season? What about all the 12s that emotionally invested in Earl Thomas? SCREW YOU SEAHAWKS, he is busy pimping his service elsewhere.

 

[Bigpumpkin]

All of the many posts here on .Net are not going to bring Earl in touch with the "real world". 99.9999% of the people who live on this planet believe that there is a chance for something bad to happen to them at some point in their life.
Playing in the NFL greatly increases those chances. Earl signed a contract that made it clear that getting hurt was a possibility. Now that he is getting older and thinking ahead....those chances of getting hurt have just increased greatly.
Just wait a year on the sidelines Earl and watch what happens to your value with other NFL teams.

One's destiny is determined by who you choose to believe.

 

[OpHawk]

All of the many posts here on .Net are not going to bring Earl in touch with the "real world". 99.9999% of the people who live on this planet believe that there is a chance for something bad to happen to them at some point in their life.
Playing in the NFL greatly increases those chances. Earl signed a contract that made it clear that getting hurt was a possibility. Now that he is getting older and thinking ahead....those chances of getting hurt have just increased greatly.
Just wait a year on the sidelines Earl and watch what happens to your value with other NFL teams.

One's destiny is determined by who you choose to believe.

Playing in the NFL also provides the financial backing to mitigate the damage of those bad things. Thinking ahead for what? Something bad that may happen that the 40-some million he's already made can't take care of?

Lets stop pretending that the money he has already banked playing in the NFL isn't enough to handle 99.9999% of any problem life throws at him, or his kids, or their kids....

 

[ZagHawk]

Maybe the CBA needs to make a new contingency where if you have a guaranteed contract but you can't play due to injury than that guaranteed money will no longer count against the cap for the team but the player will still get paid. Seems like a fair way to take care of a player's injury risk and family while not hurting the team due to bad luck in a salary cap era.

 

[jammerhawk]

Earl, I’m not buying it.

Feed the kids? Security? Whatever?

You are just another self important, self entitled, egotistical athlete. Yes you have genuine talent, and of course you have a contract that would have paid you $8.5 million for the year, you agreed to that deal. Likely you would have got a new deal until you got lame advice from your agent, or your ego got in the way of your thinking. The Cowboys ain’t buying, and I think you can feed the kids on that not so inconsequential annual income. Of course that now will be decreased by the amount of the fines the team should take from it and your bonus money.

Hope the fines bite, have fun not playing. No team would be stupid enough to trade for you with your me, me, me attitude. Further, face it, the market has changed for your position and you have seen what happens to the cap of your team when large guaranteed contracts have to be paid to an injured player.

If you are actually worried about your security due to the injury risk of playing a violent sport, buy some insurance, but stop the BS b/c it’s nonsense.

I will be disappointed if the team gives in to you, they’ve honoured their side of your deal with them and treated you with respect, you on the other hand haven’t. At this stage I wouldn’t want you here until you are ‘all in’ and you certainly aren’t.

 

[acer1240]

His family must have a huge appetite.

To the posters who advocate trading him to the Browns...I agree. I would assume housing and food is cheaper in Cleveland so it should be a win for Earl.

 

[Rocket]

Earl can't rationally claim that the contract is unfair. First, Earl had an agent who was paid handsomely to look out for Earl's best interests. Earl will, like Kam, get a freakin' boatload of money to sit on his butt if he gets a season-ending injury like Kam did, depending on where in the season it falls. Life isn't perfect, but Earl Thomas III negotiated and signed his contract, knowing full well what the contract said. I dearly hope that Earl knows there's a salary cap. If not, shame on him.

Someone mentioned Earl sold his house. Anyone know if this is true, and if so, where it was (is?)

 

[KitsapGuy]

The Seahawks have shown no inclination to pay him near the top of the market for safeties, which would be in the $13 mil range. We assume the Cowboys have had permission to discuss financial parameters with representatives of Thomas, 29, a native of Orange, Texas and a University of Texas product. This has all been newsworthy for quite some time, much of it behind the scenes.

But now we've got a "Holdout Scream'' and a "Holdout Whisper.''

But you know what we don't have?

Earl Thomas' gorgeous Bellevue, Washington mansion up for sale, that's what we don't have.



This doesn't make Newy's story wrong, not at all. But training camps in the NFL start NOW. If Earl Thomas is truly zero-percent interested in remaining with the Seahawks, is truly 100-percent convinced they'll never pay him, and "planning to sell his house in Seattle,'' NOW would be the time.

However -- and this certainly could change at any moment -- but I'm told the mansion, which Thomas purchased for $1,999,000 in September of 2015, is not presently on the market.

So Earl Thomas' mansion is not yet for sale. But Earl Thomas certainly is.

https://247sports.com/nfl/dallas-cowboy ... 120050328/

 

[toffee]

Earl can't rationally claim that the contract is unfair. First, Earl had an agent who was paid handsomely to look out for Earl's best interests. Earl will, like Kam, get a freakin' boatload of money to sit on his butt if he gets a season-ending injury like Kam did, depending on where in the season it falls. Life isn't perfect, but Earl Thomas III negotiated and signed his contract, knowing full well what the contract said. I dearly hope that Earl knows there's a salary cap. If not, shame on him.

Someone mentioned Earl sold his house. Anyone know if this is true, and if so, where it was (is?)

Earl's whole "schlick" was based on Seahawks being unfair, that Seahawks refusing to give him another $40-$50 millions contract after Earl sacrificed his body for Seahawks' success for sooo many years; that Seahawks not taking care of Earl in his old age. The only ooops? Seahawks compensated his past effort, compensated very well to the tune of making him the highest paid FS in the league. He provided services and got paid, fair and square. Earl conveniently forgot about that in his complains. Therefore, It takes special minds to agree with Earl, at least no owners, GMs, HCs in the league are seeing things Earl's way.

Fact: After pimping in Dallas, Cleveland, Oakland, and may be more, Earl the all-pro, pro-bowl, hall of fame, FS at his prime; after being on the market for months, sits at home waiting.

 

[chris98251]

Well if he sells his house that should at least get his kids a few snacks at a drive thru so they are not hungry for a few hours.

 

[HawkGA]

I was thinking just the other day about how the complaint from players a lot is they don't have guaranteed contracts. But that's really not at play here. Even with a guaranteed contract Earl would the same thing because he's wanting payout beyond this year.