NFL's never-ending offseason a concern to Vincent

[The_Philster]

Troy Vincent's dissent is a testament to his character, his commitment to family, his belief that whatever success he attains in life is only marginally related to how well he supports the run or defends the pass.
Troy Vincent, the new Buffalo Bills cornerback, created a stir this spring when he groused about the proliferation of organized team activities. You know what OTAs are, right? They're practices disguised by a euphemism in order to circumvent the minicamp limitations imposed by the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.
Participation in an OTA is, of course, quite voluntary. About as voluntary as walking the plank with the point of a sword pressed to the small of your back. You're better off taking the plunge willingly rather than dealing with the other ramifications....
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[Pride]

I tend to agree. The guys make millions of dollars, but there should be a 2 month period where they do not have to report to anything. Feb/March then meet after the draft in april?

One one hand you have to figure that these guys get paid millions, for just a few years worth of work, but on the other hand, they need to be fathers (if they have kids), husbands, and get some alone time.

Everyone needs alone time.

[saviorbledsoe]

I want to be a big Vincent fan but this is BS. Lets say the average father works 40 hrs per week and if lucky its first shift. Now the NFL season lasts between August and February (7 Months) which during they are home a lot as well. And in the offseason they are home for 5 months with the occasional OTA for a week or 2 here and there. (sarcasm time) Oh my...that seems like a terrible job to me. (end sarcasm) Try defending the country over seas and being gone from your family for 2 years or being on an oil rigg in the middle of the ocean somewhere for 6 months or working 70 hours per week all year to support your family...this just sounds like a spoiled athlete who thinks he doesnt need to the extra work in anymore.

[OpIv37]

Originally posted by saviorbledsoe
I want to be a big Vincent fan but this is BS. Lets say the average father works 40 hrs per week and if lucky its first shift. Now the NFL season lasts between August and February (7 Months) which during they are home a lot as well. And in the offseason they are home for 5 months with the occasional OTA for a week or 2 here and there. (sarcasm time) Oh my...that seems like a terrible job to me. (end sarcasm) Try defending the country over seas and being gone from your family for 2 years or being on an oil rigg in the middle of the ocean somewhere for 6 months or working 70 hours per week all year to support your family...this just sounds like a spoiled athlete who thinks he doesnt need to the extra work in anymore.

amen
Or like people in this area who work 40 hours a week EVERY WEEK then have to commute an hour plus each way just so their family can have a decent house in a safe neighborhood.

Not to mention that "working" for a football player means, well PLAYING FOOTBALL, which is what the rest of us do with our free time. True, they have team meetings and press events as well, but mostly all they do is work out with the best athletic equipment and personal trainers in the world, then go play a game.

And let's not forget that the league minimun is $200 K a year and most players make millions- for that kind of money, I have no sympathy.

As far as being family men, the article about the rookie seminars last year said the average NFL career is only 4 years. I think their families will glady sacrifice the 4 years to be financially stable til the end of time. I know I would...

[B-DON]

exactly, lets hope vincent isnt this big of a ***** on the field

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by saviorbledsoe
I want to be a big Vincent fan but this is BS. Lets say the average father works 40 hrs per week and if lucky its first shift. Now the NFL season lasts between August and February (7 Months) which during they are home a lot as well. And in the offseason they are home for 5 months with the occasional OTA for a week or 2 here and there. (sarcasm time) Oh my...that seems like a terrible job to me. (end sarcasm) Try defending the country over seas and being gone from your family for 2 years or being on an oil rigg in the middle of the ocean somewhere for 6 months or working 70 hours per week all year to support your family...this just sounds like a spoiled athlete who thinks he doesnt need to the extra work in anymore.

mark it down.. i agree completely and 100% with savior.

[hurls]

Wow, I'm surprised. I thought more people would be on Vincent's side. I know there's tougher jobs, like the military. But athletes are away from their families much more than your average 40 hr/week worker. And when's the last time some dude walked into work at Denny's, and the manager came up and said, "Sorry son, we needed a frycook real bad, so we had to trade you to the franchise on the West Coast?" That would suck, lol.

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by slruh
Wow, I'm surprised. I thought more people would be on Vincent's side. I know there's tougher jobs, like the military. But athletes are away from their families much more than your average 40 hr/week worker. And when's the last time some dude walked into work at Denny's, and the manager came up and said, "Sorry son, we needed a frycook real bad, so we had to trade you to the franchise on the West Coast?" That would suck, lol.

most of you would sacrifice for 10 years tops to make 200k - 10 million a year for your families that are home in the big fancy house.

cry me a river.. it is not like their careers last the 27 years that my fathers did as a police officer. when he retired after 27 years.. he made 55k a year. so vincent and all the other athletes can STFU, or quit and go get another job like the rest of us.

[TigerJ]

Here's what I think:

Vincent is a big shot in the Players Association. Maybe he was putting the owners on notice that he'd like to see the OTAs included as an item for negotiation when the CBA comes up for renewal. Teams are limited in what they can do for minicamps. In essence I think the OTAs are an exploitation of a loophole in the CBA now in effect. By making them "voluntary" they don't come under the rules regulating mini camps. It does not seem to be a shot a Buffalo in particular.

Now, does Vincent have a point? When players maintain homes in other parts of the country (Montana. Georgia, etc) and their families stay in those permanent homes, I can see where there is pressure on players and families. Kids don't get to see their dads, players with time to kill and no family around to remind them of their responsibililties can end yup doing stupid things. BUT, the choice to have families live in other parts of the country is o ne that players and their families are making, not teams. If players did what virtually everyone else does, have their families live near where they work, then when their work day is over at the OTA, they can go home to a loving wife and family. They are not living in seclusion like they are at training camp. Someone has to open my eyes as to why that is not true, or I will find it difficult to be sympathetic.

[Mr. Cynical]

Another sad example of how bad pro sports have become. If you want to spend more time with your family, then quit the NFL and get a 9-5. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. Don't ***** and whine when you are financially set for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, for cranking the hours for 7-10 years.

Big thumbs down on TV from me. I wasn't totally thrilled on him anyway, so no big loss for me.

[Buckets]

I have to agree with the disenters here. Boo Hoo for pro ball players, they waltzed their way through school, making more money in a year than most of us will make in a lifetime and he is complaining about family. Go ahead get that 9-5 and then see who *****es.

[Bulldog]

Originally posted by slruh
Wow, I'm surprised. I thought more people would be on Vincent's side. I know there's tougher jobs, like the military. But athletes are away from their families much more than your average 40 hr/week worker. And when's the last time some dude walked into work at Denny's, and the manager came up and said, "Sorry son, we needed a frycook real bad, so we had to trade you to the franchise on the West Coast?" That would suck, lol.

And when was the last time a frycook made millions of dollars a year? The possibility of being traded comes with the territory. Like others have said, if these players find the rigors of the NFL so demanding, get a job like the rest of us and let me know that goes for them.

[eyedog]

Is Vincent for real ? Even with 3 or 4 ota weekends cutting into their 5 month break they still don't put in nearly as many hours as a regular 9-5 guy. He should keep his mouth shut and be thankful he is playing in the NFL and getting all those benefits. When he retires in a couple of years at age 35 he will have the rest of his live to not work and hang with the family 24/7. What a tough break for Troy.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

I am going to have to ask how many hours a year do you think an NFL player actually "works"?

If a guy works 40 hours a week with 3 weeks vacation/sick time, he works 1,960 hours. That is just the guy that works and doesn't have to travel at his job.

(Spring training would be the only time that the players would have to be somewhere for extended periods of time. Still they only work for a few hours a day.

I say during the season the players "work" 4 hours during the week and get Tuesday off. Sunday home games they work 8 hours? So I say during the season the players work 32 hours a week. Eight times during the year they work out of town.)

The players go to "voluntary" workouts what 3 weeks during the offseason?


I also agree, when you are in college you know what it takes to be in the NFL. I would bet that there wasn't one person in college that said they think the hours in the NFL are too much for them and that they would rather just get a "regular" job.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I don't have an offseason at my job and I don't make millions. If they don't like it then don't be a football player.