Swinging Gates

I don’t like contract holdouts. I think holding out is the absolute wrong way to go about it. I think if you sign a contract you are bound to play for the amount and period of time outlined by the contract. If you think you deserve more money, I think you had better bring your ass to work like a normal human being and negotiate through training camp. I think no team is obligated to give more money to a player just because they want it. I hate the Philadelphia Eagles, but I think their contract practices are dead on.

All of the above is why I think the San Diego Chargers won a small battle for teams all over the league this weekend when Antonio Gates stopped crying and reported to camp on Sunday. The Chargers surprised me by threatening to suspend Gates if he didn’t report by Saturday, and (not surprisingly) following through on it, ensuring that Gates will not play in their season opener (not that it really matters, they’re playing the Cowgirls). Why didn’t Gates report Saturday and avoid suspension? Did he think the Chargers wouldn’t actually pull the trigger? I say the chances of that are pretty good. What matters here is that Gates learned the hard way that holding out won’t always get you what you want. Hines Ward learned it too recently, reporting to camp after holding out and looks to be close to having a deal done. The Chargers showed that upholding the integrity of their organization is as important as winning and that there are teams out there that won’t be messed with when it comes to contract holdouts. Hopefully there are other teams watching and there are players who see that perhaps holding out isn’t the way to get what you want.