What Happens to La’el Collins Now?

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Prime Time

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This article was published before the end of the draft which accounts for the author's statements that he believed Collins would be drafted by someone. It doesn't really explain whether or not Collins will be allowed to enter the 2016 draft because there's no precedence on this for an undrafted player.
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http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/02/lael-collins-2015-nfl-draft/

lael-collins-960.jpg

Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports

What Happens to La’el Collins Now?
After not being drafted on Thursday or Friday, La’el Collins’ representatives have said he won’t play in 2015 and will re-enter next year’s draft. According to teams and agents, the offensive lineman’s situation isn’t so cut-and-dried
By Robert Klemko

In the case of La’el Collins, there are football interests, collective bargaining ramifications and public relations decisions worthy of scrutiny and discussion. But in doing so, we must not lose sight of the most important—and heinous—detail: a pregnant woman was shot and killed, and the baby, whom doctors delivered, died a week later; the killer is likely at large.

That said, my expertise after polling teams and agents, is on the football side of things, so that’s what I’ll discuss here. And I’ll start with an educated guess: La’el Collins will get drafted today in Chicago.

Before I explain, a recap: Collins, the former LSU offensive lineman, was invited to attend the draft and expected to go in the first round. On Friday, April 24, 29-year-old Brittney Mills, reportedly Collins’ ex-girlfriend, was shot to death in her Baton Rouge, La., home. The child, Brenton Mills, died one week later. Collins had arrived in Chicago for draft festivities this week but left the city in order to meet with police in Louisiana, who considered him a person of interest but not a suspect.

Collins’ representation, led by Deryk Gilmore of Priority Sports, petitioned for Collins to be removed from the draft and placed in this summer’s supplemental draft for special cases. That petition was denied on the grounds of a hard and fast CBA rule: “No player may elect to bypass a draft for which he is eligible to apply for selection in a supplemental draft.”

Fair enough.

Then came this bombshell from the Collins camp: If drafted beyond round 3 (or not drafted at all), Collins would decline to sign, and would sit out the year and enter the 2016 draft. Ostensibly, the motivation would be to recoup the guaranteed cash he has lost by falling out of the first round.

For the first scenario, there is precedent. Bo Jackson, drafted in 1986 by Tampa Bay, played a season of pro baseball rather than join the Bucs, and because he refused to sign a contract the team lost his rights before the next draft. The Raiders chose Jackson in the seventh round of the ’87 draft. Today the cutoff is Week 10, and you get thrown back into the next year’s draft pool.

You can do that.

But what if you’re not drafted, and you want to sit out a season and gain entry to the next draft? There’s no precedent, and zero language in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement providing for such a scenario. Media reports subsequent to Collins’ declaration have yet to touch on this, instead treating his assumed admission to the 2016 draft as a ’15 UDFA as a given.

“It certainly is not automatic,” said one agent well-versed in the CBA. “There is obviously some language in the CBA that can lead to a rendering of an interpretation by the league on the issue. How valid an interpretation that is would have to be examined, and if a player thought it was not a correct interpretation he could bring a System Arbitration challenging it.”

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says the league’s stance is clear: “If he’s not drafted today? He would be the same as any other player in this draft. He becomes a free agent like any other undrafted player. You only go through one draft. If he’s drafted and sits out the year, he would go back into the 2016 draft.”

Again, there is no language in the CBA for this scenario, complicating his prospects of winning any kind of argument with the league. All of which makes his agency’s declaration so peculiar. Why wouldn’t you want to get drafted, so you could have the option of sitting out a year and re-entering the draft?

You can table this question for now as we wait for the NFLPA to weigh in. The most valuable interpretation will come from the union’s counsel, who did not respond to an email Friday night. For now, a bigger, burning question: Why isn’t La’el Collins screaming his innocence from the rooftops?

I can confirm that he and his attorney have spent the last several days on the phone with any team who will talk to him, explaining his side of things and his belief that the child was not his (no word on a paternity test so far). He also took a lie detector test organized by his reps Thursday, and passed, per Jason Cole.

That’s what we’re hearing through back channels, but why aren’t we hearing it from the man himself?

Consider the tragic case of Dennis Weathersby, the former Oregon State cornerback and projected first-round pick in the 2003 draft. The week of the draft, he was shot in the back in a drive-by shooting, and police concluded he and a companion were mistaken for someone else. The night before the draft, ESPN aired a piece on SportsCenter chronicling the bizarre turn of events, including an interview with Weathersby. Given expectations of a full recovery by doctors, the Bengals drafted him in the fourth round.

Different strokes for different crisis managers, perhaps. If Collins is so distraught he’s unable or unwilling to compose himself for cameras, that wouldn’t jibe with making the audacious “don’t draft me” declaration.

And despite all of this, I still think Collins will get drafted. At this point, I think most of the NFL has taken him off their draft boards. Collins’ ultimatum didn’t help his cause. But the majority of agents and team sources I spoke with believe Collins will continue to slide until one team—and all it takes is one—decides to call his bluff on the assumption that Collins will come around once the dust settles. Given the information available Friday night, I’ll be watching the seventh round very closely.
 

iced

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idiot should have never threatened to not sign a contract and re-enter next year's draft. Now he's stuck as UDFA and cheap for the next 3 years

Should fire his agent
 

jjab360

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idiot should have never threatened to not sign a contract and re-enter next year's draft. Now he's stuck as UDFA and cheap for the next 3 years

Should fire his agent
The article says the verbage is unclear and that there is no precedent to this situation, is there something you know to the contrary?
 

Prime Time

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/02/collins-plans-to-sign-once-hes-cleared/

Collins plans to sign, once he’s cleared
Posted by Mike Florio on May 2, 2015

As expected, LSU tackle La’El Collins went undrafted on Saturday. And it appears that’s exactly what he wanted.

Collins intends to meet with police on Monday for questioning in connection with a murder case that now involves two deaths — a 29-year-old woman and her infant child. Collins is not a suspect in the case, but because he has not been cleared, no one could touch him in the draft.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Collins plans to sign with a team after he is cleared.

Making Collins less attractive in the draft was a vow to sit out the year and re-enter the draft in 2016, if he were drafted this year. Ultimately, that may have been a ploy aimed at ensuring he wasn’t drafted at all.

Ultimately, Collins can salvage the early portion of his career by signing the standard three-year deal as an undrafted rookie. While he’d be eligible for restricted free agency after three years, the numbers suggest that he’ll do fairly well, given the current amount and the historic growth of the restricted free agency tenders.

If the tenders continue to increase at a rate of five percent annually, Collins could make more than all drafted players except the top 41 picks, based on three years of minimum salaries and the first-round tender for 2018. With the second-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 52 of the picks. With the original-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 65 of the picks.

It’s a formula that demonstrates how little draft picks make beyond round one, relative to undrafted players. That said, the balloon payment in year four requires the undrafted player to earn one of the three RFA tenders. But Collins already has a leg up on the guys who typically slide through seven rounds; he has skills that would have potentially made him a first-round pick but for the unusual circumstances that unfolded in the past few days.

The analysis has one important caveat. Players taken in rounds three through seven are eligible for the proven performance escalators, which bumps their salary for the fourth year of their rookie deal into the range of $1.5 million. Still, Collins can end up getting a decent four-year rate of pay even as an undrafted player — and he’ll be eligible for a new contract after only two seasons. Drafted players have to wait for three.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, Collins gets to pick his NFL team. No drafted player gets to do that.

For now, none of this matters until he’s cleared. That process begins Monday.
 

iced

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The article says the verbage is unclear and that there is no precedent to this situation, is there something you know to the contrary?

other articles i think posted in the day 3 thread stated that if he went undrafted, he becomes a UDFA and cannot re-enter the draft next year. if you drafted him, he could sit out and re-enter next years draft.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/10371/lael-collins
LSU G/T La'El Collins was not selected in the 2015 NFL draft.
Collins issued an ultimatum on Friday in the hope he could force a team to take him Day 2, but the plan backfired and he fell out of the draft entirely. Collins originally planned to sit out a year before re-entering the draft in 2016, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said that would not be possible. There is no language in the CBA that deals with undrafted players re-entering the draft, so Collins could and likely will challenge the NFL's position. We are in for a lengthy fight.

He would be stupid to fight - and you can't help but wonder what a coach might think about a guy who cares more about his draft status than missing a year he could be playing football.

edit: Glad he saw the light (not that he had any other move really)
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/02/collins-plans-to-sign-once-hes-cleared/

Collins plans to sign, once he’s cleared
Posted by Mike Florio on May 2, 2015

As expected, LSU tackle La’El Collins went undrafted on Saturday. And it appears that’s exactly what he wanted.

Collins intends to meet with police on Monday for questioning in connection with a murder case that now involves two deaths — a 29-year-old woman and her infant child. Collins is not a suspect in the case, but because he has not been cleared, no one could touch him in the draft.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Collins plans to sign with a team after he is cleared.

Making Collins less attractive in the draft was a vow to sit out the year and re-enter the draft in 2016, if he were drafted this year. Ultimately, that may have been a ploy aimed at ensuring he wasn’t drafted at all.

Ultimately, Collins can salvage the early portion of his career by signing the standard three-year deal as an undrafted rookie. While he’d be eligible for restricted free agency after three years, the numbers suggest that he’ll do fairly well, given the current amount and the historic growth of the restricted free agency tenders.

If the tenders continue to increase at a rate of five percent annually, Collins could make more than all drafted players except the top 41 picks, based on three years of minimum salaries and the first-round tender for 2018. With the second-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 52 of the picks. With the original-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 65 of the picks.

It’s a formula that demonstrates how little draft picks make beyond round one, relative to undrafted players. That said, the balloon payment in year four requires the undrafted player to earn one of the three RFA tenders. But Collins already has a leg up on the guys who typically slide through seven rounds; he has skills that would have potentially made him a first-round pick but for the unusual circumstances that unfolded in the past few days.

The analysis has one important caveat. Players taken in rounds three through seven are eligible for the proven performance escalators, which bumps their salary for the fourth year of their rookie deal into the range of $1.5 million. Still, Collins can end up getting a decent four-year rate of pay even as an undrafted player — and he’ll be eligible for a new contract after only two seasons. Drafted players have to wait for three.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, Collins gets to pick his NFL team. No drafted player gets to do that.

For now, none of this matters until he’s cleared. That process begins Monday.
For the love of god let this kid be cleared by Police and happen to be a Rams fan, you know you want to block for Gurley bruh!
 

RaminExile

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So he sent out that message that he wouldn't sign if drafted after the 3rd to make himself as unattractive a prospect as possible so that he would go undrafted because he's already agreed big money terms with a team conditional on the fact that he is cleared of any wrongdoing? Makes sense actually for both the player and a team who got the guy without using a draft pick on him....

Wish it was us!
 

V3

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Not sure if it's possible but I'd sign him for a very large incentive-laden contract contingent on him being cleared of charges. It'd be like getting another first round pick. We have the money to do it.
 

Yamahopper

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I'm surprised a tam didn't take him in the 7th just to see if he was really willing to sit out a year.
 

RaminExile

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Not sure if it's possible but I'd sign him for a very large incentive-laden contract contingent on him being cleared of charges. It'd be like getting another first round pick. We have the money to do it.

Exactly - I'm almost sure teams have been contacting him with agreements like this already. Should he be cleared there's no reason he wont be able to be paid (except for the terms of the CBA prohibiting such things? I don't know about that).
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/02/collins-plans-to-sign-once-hes-cleared/

Collins plans to sign, once he’s cleared
Posted by Mike Florio on May 2, 2015

As expected, LSU tackle La’El Collins went undrafted on Saturday. And it appears that’s exactly what he wanted.

Collins intends to meet with police on Monday for questioning in connection with a murder case that now involves two deaths — a 29-year-old woman and her infant child. Collins is not a suspect in the case, but because he has not been cleared, no one could touch him in the draft.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Collins plans to sign with a team after he is cleared.

Making Collins less attractive in the draft was a vow to sit out the year and re-enter the draft in 2016, if he were drafted this year. Ultimately, that may have been a ploy aimed at ensuring he wasn’t drafted at all.

Ultimately, Collins can salvage the early portion of his career by signing the standard three-year deal as an undrafted rookie. While he’d be eligible for restricted free agency after three years, the numbers suggest that he’ll do fairly well, given the current amount and the historic growth of the restricted free agency tenders.

If the tenders continue to increase at a rate of five percent annually, Collins could make more than all drafted players except the top 41 picks, based on three years of minimum salaries and the first-round tender for 2018. With the second-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 52 of the picks. With the original-round tender, he’ll make more than all but 65 of the picks.

It’s a formula that demonstrates how little draft picks make beyond round one, relative to undrafted players. That said, the balloon payment in year four requires the undrafted player to earn one of the three RFA tenders. But Collins already has a leg up on the guys who typically slide through seven rounds; he has skills that would have potentially made him a first-round pick but for the unusual circumstances that unfolded in the past few days.

The analysis has one important caveat. Players taken in rounds three through seven are eligible for the proven performance escalators, which bumps their salary for the fourth year of their rookie deal into the range of $1.5 million. Still, Collins can end up getting a decent four-year rate of pay even as an undrafted player — and he’ll be eligible for a new contract after only two seasons. Drafted players have to wait for three.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, Collins gets to pick his NFL team. No drafted player gets to do that.

For now, none of this matters until he’s cleared. That process begins Monday.

Lets go Rams, get on it.
 

Legatron4

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Boy would that be friggin sweet to get this guy. Imagine that damn line.
 

Memento

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What happens? In my opinion, he goes to prison for a double homicide.
 

Memento

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So you were there? Are you taking the witness stand?

No. I don't like his total lack of empathy or compassion, though. And who says he did the murder himself? For all you and I and everyone else knows, this could be another Rae Carruth situation.
 

iced

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So he sent out that message that he wouldn't sign if drafted after the 3rd to make himself as unattractive a prospect as possible so that he would go undrafted because he's already agreed big money terms with a team conditional on the fact that he is cleared of any wrongdoing? Makes sense actually for both the player and a team who got the guy without using a draft pick on him....

Wish it was us!

except he's playing for cheap, like the minimum and a the bonus money for udfa's has a small cap.
 

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What happens? In my opinion, he goes to prison for a double homicide.

In cases of homicide, detectives first check out family members, friends, acquaintances, and neighbors because most homicides are committed by those who knew the victim. The fact that Collins is being questioned is normal. It would be sloppy investigative police work if they didn't. The paternity test might establish motive.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...takes-another-tragic-turn-as-baby-dies-050215

Collins has not been named as a suspect but police do want to speak with him. The Advocate reports that Collins is expected to meet with Baton Rouge police on Monday and at that time is expected to take a paternity test.

Mills, 29, was shot to death when she answered the door to her apartment. Cpl. Don Coppola said police believe Mills, who also had a 10-year-old daughter, knew the shooter. There have been reports the shooting occurred because she refused to lend her car to the suspect.

No one has been arrested.
 

…..

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No. I don't like his total lack of empathy or compassion, though. And who says he did the murder himself? For all you and I and everyone else knows, this could be another Rae Carruth situation.

True, I had considered that possiblilty of a "hit" situation, especially since his lawer already has an alibi and witnesses lined up to state he was not near the area that night. Since he hasnt spoken publicly I cannot see how you could come to the conclusion that he lacks empathy or compassion. I think alot of the chatter about we heard about his exploring options during the draft came from his agent, not him. Something I expect an agent to do since he is getting paid to do it.

Right now he seems pretty innocent to me, until proven guilty. ;)

I tried to research the murder and there is very little information. What is known is that Brittney answered her door and was shot, after possibly arguing with someone when she refused to loan ther her car.