Mackeyser
Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2013
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- 14,435
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- Mack
If the NFL has clear rules on approved work out locations, that should be plenty.
The problem with people getting hurt outside of a workplace is, how do you prove how they got hurt.
This is not a grey area and something, I'm sure, all the agents and players are aware of.
You get hurt at a team facility and your covered.
You get hurt outside of a team facility and you're not.
Well, okay.
So the Rams have encouraged Goff to go to Tom House who's world renowned for helping with throwing mechanics... for baseball as well as football. Tom Brady and a bunch of college and pro QBs hit him up at USC in the spring. Goff went at least once.
Based on what folks are saying, even as the club encouraged and supported Goff to go to this specialty, non-club run venue... was Goff supposed to go full r/malicious compliance and refuse unless Tom House came to the facility? And how badly would he have been crucified by fans and the media for such a move? Would ANYONE have given him any leeway for such a move based on "I would go, but I can't risk working out at a non-team run facility"???
These aren't guys who are working out in a garage or basement (although AD does and the Rams certainly hasn't discouraged that), these are guys who are going to legit places often using the program designed by the team and/or specialists.
If someone was playing on a quadcycle and jacked their knees, then yeah... they shouldn't expect to receive their full contract. But in good conscience working to be at their best?
Why would the NFL want to discourage that?
And rest assured it will. More players are likely to eschew those outside venues which provide specialized technique training and thus miss out on a growth opportunity.
Here's how I know this is gonna be a problem. It's only a matter of time that a QB suffers an injury to their throwing arm while attending a Tom House or similar throwing academy. What if it were someone like Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes?
I guarantee that the team doesn't do that for "cap" reasons and guarantee that the NFL would "revisit" that with the NFLPA right quick.
Bottom line is that Denver took the opportunity because they'd paid him a lot and he had a freak injury, opted out due to COVID and then had another freak injury. Which is fine, I guess, as they're technically within the rules.
However... don't think that this is over and you can bet if the NFL can find yet another way to shoot themselves in the foot while they fail upwards, they'll do it.