Pred's Fantasy Football Forums - View Single Post - BREAKING FRENZY NEWS: Shaun Alexander at odds with BDSC management... VOIDS contract!

Preds · March 4th, 2004, 11:02 PM

Frenzy News

Hamburg, NY
by Rhett Zoan for FSPN (Fantasy SPorts Network)

My sources on the west coast have confirmed with high level management in the Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers organization that RB Shaun Alexander has voided the last 2 years of his contract.

Alexander, who finished # 7 among RB's last season, has grown discontent with his contract which is near the league minimum at only 133 cb's for the upcoming 2004 season.

My sources told me that BDSC has made several overtures to appease the star RB in the past couple months in attempts to restructure the contract but have been unsuccessful coming to terms on what Alexander desires; a market driven salary.

When I first heard rumors that Alexander may be voiding his contract, I checked with the league offices and the players union. Apparently there was a clause buried in Alexander's contract that allowed Alexander to void his contract if he met certain performance incentives, which BDSC management originally thought would be difficult for the young player to achieve. My sources have indicated that the 2 clauses that have sprung the young star free were that he had to complete 3 full seasons and finish in the top 5 at his position at least 2 times during the life of the contract. While Alexander fell just shy of the top 5 at RB last year, he did meet the criterea in the 2 prior seasons, having finished #4 each of those years.

After some calls, BDSC management has stated that they have received authorization from the league to still control his rights, despite Alexander voiding his contract. My BDSC sources told me the team is likely to tag him at the level commesurate with 2nd round compensation. I contacted Shaun at his hom this evening, and he told me "A return to the Squirrels is entirely possible, I haven't ruled that out. But I feel I deserve a more market driven salary and took advantage of the loophole my agent inserted in the contract." Apparently Shaun doesn't share agents with Terrell Owens and Dennis Northcutt!

I contacted Frenzy Rules Chairman Mike SantaLucia, regarding the situation and he indicated to me that the Rules Committee had conferenced this afternoon and after debate have granted BDSC the rights to tag Alexander at no higher than 2nd round compensation.

The players union was unhappy with the committee's decision, but have stated an appeal was unlikely since it would be extremely difficult for them to win. SantaLucia explained that "Despite voiding his contract, Alexander's rights are still held by BDSC and his fate as a RFA or UFA is at their discretion, just as any other player is when their contract expires." SantaLucia also stated that "Since the contract was voided by the player, the Squirrel Chasers will not face any cap hit repercussions."

The unique situation forced me to press deeper, and when asked if their were other players in the Frenzy who had the rights to void their contracts SantaLucia replied "there may be a few, the situation hit us out of the blue, so I'm not prepared to tell you who else may have this same unique opportunity to void a contract. What I can say for certain, is that these clauses were only inserted into contracts for players drafted in the inaugural season's draft. Further, the only players who obtained these clauses, were generally rookies who were paid at or near the league minimum. If any other surface I'll be the first to let you know Rhett." While SantaLucia wouldn't admit it, my research has turned up some possibilites, specifically QB Michael Vick, RB Travis Henry, TE Todd Heap and RB Kevan Barlow, (although Barlow is unlikely to make the cut due to the lack of consistent performace over the majority of his contract).

With the recent rule changes voted in by the member teams of the league this past week, the 2004 RFA period promises to be like no other. A talent pool that already included star running backs Ricky Williams (also of the BDSC), LaDainian Tomlinson (of the defending Champion Predators), Ahman Green (of the Swords), and Edgerrin James (of the Dodgers) just got a lot deeper with the addition of Shaun Alexander.

As always, I'm Rhett Zoan, and when I learn more you'll learn more.

March 4th, 2004, 11:02 PM	#1
Preds *****istrator Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Hamburg, NY Posts: 17,782	BREAKING NEWS - Shaun Alexander at odds with BDSC management... VOIDS contract! Frenzy News Hamburg, NY by Rhett Zoan for FSPN (Fantasy SPorts Network) My sources on the west coast have confirmed with high level management in the Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers organization that RB Shaun Alexander has voided the last 2 years of his contract. Alexander, who finished # 7 among RB's last season, has grown discontent with his contract which is near the league minimum at only 133 cb's for the upcoming 2004 season. My sources told me that BDSC has made several overtures to appease the star RB in the past couple months in attempts to restructure the contract but have been unsuccessful coming to terms on what Alexander desires; a market driven salary. When I first heard rumors that Alexander may be voiding his contract, I checked with the league offices and the players union. Apparently there was a clause buried in Alexander's contract that allowed Alexander to void his contract if he met certain performance incentives, which BDSC management originally thought would be difficult for the young player to achieve. My sources have indicated that the 2 clauses that have sprung the young star free were that he had to complete 3 full seasons and finish in the top 5 at his position at least 2 times during the life of the contract. While Alexander fell just shy of the top 5 at RB last year, he did meet the criterea in the 2 prior seasons, having finished #4 each of those years. After some calls, BDSC management has stated that they have received authorization from the league to still control his rights, despite Alexander voiding his contract. My BDSC sources told me the team is likely to tag him at the level commesurate with 2nd round compensation. I contacted Shaun at his hom this evening, and he told me "A return to the Squirrels is entirely possible, I haven't ruled that out. But I feel I deserve a more market driven salary and took advantage of the loophole my agent inserted in the contract." Apparently Shaun doesn't share agents with Terrell Owens and Dennis Northcutt! I contacted Frenzy Rules Chairman Mike SantaLucia, regarding the situation and he indicated to me that the Rules Committee had conferenced this afternoon and after debate have granted BDSC the rights to tag Alexander at no higher than 2nd round compensation. The players union was unhappy with the committee's decision, but have stated an appeal was unlikely since it would be extremely difficult for them to win. SantaLucia explained that "Despite voiding his contract, Alexander's rights are still held by BDSC and his fate as a RFA or UFA is at their discretion, just as any other player is when their contract expires." SantaLucia also stated that "Since the contract was voided by the player, the Squirrel Chasers will not face any cap hit repercussions." The unique situation forced me to press deeper, and when asked if their were other players in the Frenzy who had the rights to void their contracts SantaLucia replied "there may be a few, the situation hit us out of the blue, so I'm not prepared to tell you who else may have this same unique opportunity to void a contract. What I can say for certain, is that these clauses were only inserted into contracts for players drafted in the inaugural season's draft. Further, the only players who obtained these clauses, were generally rookies who were paid at or near the league minimum. If any other surface I'll be the first to let you know Rhett." While SantaLucia wouldn't admit it, my research has turned up some possibilites, specifically QB Michael Vick, RB Travis Henry, TE Todd Heap and RB Kevan Barlow, (although Barlow is unlikely to make the cut due to the lack of consistent performace over the majority of his contract). With the recent rule changes voted in by the member teams of the league this past week, the 2004 RFA period promises to be like no other. A talent pool that already included star running backs Ricky Williams (also of the BDSC), LaDainian Tomlinson (of the defending Champion Predators), Ahman Green (of the Swords), and Edgerrin James (of the Dodgers) just got a lot deeper with the addition of Shaun Alexander. As always, I'm Rhett Zoan, and when I learn more you'll learn more.