CHILDRESS SAYS BELICHICK TRIED TO GET VIKES NOT TO CLAIM CUT PLAYER The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Pats coach Bill Belichick tried to persuade Vikings coach Brad Childress not to make a waiver claim on tight end Garrett Mills, who had been released by the Patriots on Saturday. The Pats wanted to be able to sign Mills to the practice squad once he made it through waivers. Per the Star Tribune, which was recounting a Childress interview on WCCO-AM, Childress said that Belichick called to explain that there was a released Vikings player in which the Pats were interested, and that the Pats would pass on said player if the Vikings would not assert a waiver claim for Mills. "I said, 'Well, I'm really interested in your guy, so we'll have to let our guy slide,'" Childress said. "He didn't really care for that. He was trying to leverage. You always find out who is honest and straightforward." The Patriots claimed former Vikings linebacker David Herron, proving that Belichick's words weren't hollow. The broader question, as we see it, is whether Belichick's offer to Childress constitutes an attempt at collusion, and whether it would give the NFLPA grounds for filing a grievance under the CBA, or other relief under federal labor laws. Agreements by individual teams that frustrate the system that has been created for filling NFL rosters are presumably forbidden, and could lead to a real problem for Belichick, if anyone pursues the matter. And if what Childress is saying is true. I'm posting this in the Jets section, I'm sure the mods will move it eventually but I thought this was something everyone should see. If this is all true then the Pats could face serious problems from the union/NFL. If he tried to prevent a player (Mills) from getting 400k from the Vikings as opposed to 75k from the Pats practice squad this is ridiculous. Imagine if you were Mills and you found out about this? Once again BB shows his true colors.
Sounds a bit dodgy, but probably not uncommon. I bet you any money that Mangini wouldn't do this. Not wanting to start a "Mangini = good, BB = bad" thing, but I really don't think he would, and that makes me a bit happier he's our guy.
Let's face it, Belichick is a grade A, USDA approved ass clown. But he wins, and that's the bottom line...
Yeah but this is collusion. He did something that while might be common, isn't usually "outed" by another organization.
The true power in the NFL is obviously with the owners and not the players, particularly with the NFLPA's joke of a president, so I doubt that this will lead to any serious repercussions. It clearly violates the spirit of the waiver rules, however, and is ridiculously unfair to the players involved. I'm sure that our resident BB defender will now explain how this is actually perfectly fair and appropriate.
making a mountain out of a molehill. who knows if it was an off the cuff remark or whatever. i know we all want to think we're classier than all, but geeze, nit picking over nothing really. i seem to remember mangini doing a little collusion with their reciever branch, last season. which was a little on the shady side trying to continue putting pressure on the pats organization. this crap goes on with all organizations..
How does this compare to Branch? I think this is a big deal if this is going on all over the league. I understand why coaches would do it but it's horrible to the players involved. Imagine if two teams worked together so that your salary this upcoming season with 75k instead of 400k? I'm sure you'd be real happy.
Sounds like hes jealous of Manginis soprano cameo and wants a part too. BROWN ENVELOPE FOR MR BELICHICK!!
first, mangini got into the branch fiasco, not b/c the jets really wanted him, but more to run up the price it would have cost the pats to keep branch. also, branch was under contract another year and mangini got in branch's ear before the pats gave him permission to seek a trading partner. "as far as practice squad players" i doubt it was about keeping salary low for said players as much as it was for wanting to keep his own drafted player from getting away. in nfl terms, $75k to $400k is peanut money.. honestly, your just trying to make mangini look like he's the classiest guy in the league and bb is an ahole(which he could very well be) but that's not why you posting this crap. all teams do some sort of shannigans, and mangini is not above anyone else really. i read some articles last season about what the hangup was between bb and mangini. it wasn't so much bb not liking mangini going to the jets, as much as it was about mangini trying to steel coaches away from the pats and trying to get into some of the pats scured area's after he had announced his intensions to take the jets job...
Not exactly accurate here. Branch had permission to make a trade, Supposedly the Jets told Branch's agent what their compensation would be which is a no-no. Bottom line is NE bitched to the league, the league investigated, case dismissed.
Yes and none of these things were ever proven nor said by Belly himself. I heard the bs about him trying to get guys on the plane ride home from Denver and none of it ever came from a reputable source. If Mangini did this you know Belly would have been all over it and trying to make a big deal of it.
first of all, collusion is a big deal, so you do look ridiculous trying to minimize it. secondly, a jump from 75k to 400k is big in every walk of life, even the NFL. teams are constantly renegotiating contracts to shave thousands of dollars off and assist in the salary cap...hardly the actions that infer "peanut money." sure, I can understand your wanting to debate anyone trying to sugar coat Mangini in comparrison to these actions, but making equally ridiculous assertions to do so doesn't help you. in fact, you look even more foolish.
This was never about Mangini vs Belichick, this was about Belichick trying to get one of his drafted players through waivers and onto his practice squad. Instead of actually letting the system word he tried to manipulate the system by threatening another team of taking one of their players. This breaks the rules of the CBA and can be considered collusion. I don't see what Mangini has to do with this other then Patriots fans having some sort of fear of him.
it was more like the pats couldn't prove mangini contacted branch before permission was given. branch reportly admitted it to a pats player. but recanted or something along those lines. lets be real here, it was in mangini's best interest to muddle things, especially against your top competition. now it couldn't be proven, but it doesn't mean it didn't happen as was admitted to earlier and recanted. i think most logical people can read between the lines here...
again, it's like a court case, you have to have the proof, and of course, certain people wouldn't talk, so as to get a friend in trouble.. but it doesn't mean it didn't happen.. hey, i'm all for mangini muddying the waters and causing as much grief as possible, as long as he does it wisely and doesn't get caught. i don't believe for a second the pats wouldn't do the same. all i'm saying is, the original poster is making it sound as if only the pats/bb are classless. i think most folks know all teams pull shady sh*t and just do it in a way they don't get caught, is all...
i think your definitely missing the point i was making here. the money is a big deal to a player, of course!!! but to a teams finances, it's petty. i think it's clear here, they didn't want to lose the player. it wasn't about money. and if you really think there isn't collusion going on in the nfl all the time, your very nieve. agents, owners, and players do it all the time. the nfl is big money and they all sell each other's out for greed.
