Branch And Chayut File Grievance

[Jacky Roberts]

Ain't it amazing what money does to sports? Apparently, Chayut has done a great job convincing Deion that he is the second coming of Jerry Rice. So long, Deion, thanks for the memories.

 

[Bella*chick]

I truly have no hard feeling towars Branch.
Every person in every line of work does what they need to do the earn the best pay for the work they do.
Almost all of us have realized that we can leave our joband go to another one in order to earn more money, have better work conditions, or whatever out priorities are. (Or we are at a job that is the perfect fit)
Deion Branch believes that working for the New England Patriots right now is a bad job because they are not compensating fairly in his mind.
Any of us, faced with this, would approach the employer, as Branch did. When rebuffed, what do we do? Just accept it? Of course not, because we feel we are being treated unfairly. We go get another job, shake hands, thanks for the opportunity, good luck, I did what is best for me. Would ANYONE stay in a job that is bad for them, because the employer would be better with them staying, but wont pay what someone else will? I seriously doubt it.
Deion Branch cannot quit and go to work for another company.
He has limited alternatives, and is pursuing them.
Whether we like it or not, Branch feels working for the Patriots is a bad job unless they treat him (pay him) more fairly in his mind.
What would we expect him to do? Accept it without exploring all of the alternatives?

Im sure we can all think of 100s of ways to criticize how Branch has handled this. However, is there anyone out there who has never handled an employment issue in a way that could be questioned?

It is the mans life and the mans job. I know that no one is allowed to question my decisions about employment, because they are not in my shoes. I dont know why we feel compelled or allowed to judge him.

Except if I went to my employer and demanded a pay raise, and they said, Sure! Here's a couple things we can do...I would have you, know, RESPONDED TO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

 

[Patti37]

Note to Cheyut, your client is under contract, the verbal agreement you cite isn't worth the paper it isn't written on.

Plus...just because an agent says they had a vebal agreement doesn't mean there really was a verbal agreement between the Pats and Branch.

 

[lobster]

If Currant's reporting is correct the Pat's should file a grievance about Chayut being incompetent to represent players:
"Chayut alleges the team originally was going to give Branch a four-year deal in 2002 but decided it wanted him on a five-year deal after watching him work out at the rookie minicamp. As a result of that, Chayut divides all extension offers the Patriots make to Branch by an additional year."

What relevance does the Pat's original discussion of a 4-year contract have have once a 5-year contract was signed and filed with the NFL?

 

[AzPatsFan]

I'm disappointed in Deon Branch. He should know better.

If Chayut is attempting to have the League or NFLPA arbitrate, it bodes very well for the Patriots. If i were the Jets FO i would now be choking with apoplexy. Any arbitrator cannot ascertain who, and will not award any player from the Jets to the Patriots. I don't recall any arbitrator disrupting an uninvolved player life by awarding him in a pseudo-trade, or offering any thing other than #1 pick(s). He will replace them with future draft choice(s).

I am now certain that the Patriots receive the NYJ #1 draft choice and perhaps more if the arbitrator is truly invoked.

If the arbitrator wishes to make a point on the sanctity of the contractual process and the CBA agreement then it could be multiple draft choices. I would think any arbitrator has to recognize that the precedent of a player voiding his contract and in effect bypassing the criteria of the CBA jointly bargained by the NFLPA & the NFL, is something to be discouraged.

The CBA and the NFLPA says a player under contract as a "franchised" player which is half way to free agency, and not what Branch's status is, would be worth two, 2, T-W-O, #1 draft choices. An arbitrator may see that as a "guideline" to reasonable payment.

Oh Goody!! Bring on the Grievance!!

 

[CrazyDave]

"He has no honor"

What is this? An NFL football team or a clan of samurai?

I could word it differently.
He's a lying, dishonest little weasel.

 

[SCPatBoy]

Yea, that at the end of the day he'll still be a millionaire.

Yea, you guys will really teach him a lesson. Yay, go team internet.

I hate to tell that Right now Branch hasn't made much over a Million.....And it looks like he might not make anything this year with fines over $500,000 and potentially 10 game checks missing........Thi skind of stuff he is now pulling with his agent makes alot of other teams cautious about investing to much ..............Everything he has done since this trade thing was announced and everything like this he continues to do, will only hurt himself more. Sure Deion might still get the big payday in th end.....But right now believe it or not , Branch is learning a lesson we all learned when we were kids......" You can't always get what you want"

By the way....Stay off the Internet

 

[PatsWorldChamps]

chayut should be decertified

 

[RayClay]

I think this grievance procedure actually works in our favor.

Correct me if I'm wrong. This hearing addresses reasonable value?

If he was a restricted free agent, he'd be worth a 1.

If he were franchised, he'd be worth 2 #1s.

That's our position, (if I'm right, please correct me if not).

What's Chayuts?

He can't cite trades with other players, teams, circumstances.

Since we can cite the legal written value do for this player, reasonable value has to be compared to that legally.

By any measure the Jets didn't offer much more and offered much less in terms of compensation than one or two first rounders.

Maybe this travesty will open deions eyes and he'll fire his agent.

 

[dryheat44]

I wish I could recall the particulars of T.O. getting traded to the Ravens, then an arbitrator telling the 49ers that he had to go to the Eagles.

 

[lobster]

Bob Kraft would almost certainly honor a verbal agreement with a player if whoever represented the Pat's agreed that is what they said.

 

[PatsFanInMaine]

I wish I could recall the particulars of T.O. getting traded to the Ravens, then an arbitrator telling the 49ers that he had to go to the Eagles.

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/PHI/7180470

I was just thinking about that to. The trade was agreed to before the arbitrator could rule.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I'm disappointed in Deon Branch. He should know better.


Oh Goody!! Bring on the Grievance!!

This has officially entered the Shelly Long, McLean Stevenson, Pernell Roberts career move category. They all left great situations only to find out that the grass wasn't greener..........
If the reports of a grievance are true, I honestly believe that Branch will never wear a Patriots uniform again and he will be made an example of, if only to show others that there are ways to deal with the FO and there are ways NOT to deal with the FO and this is one of them.....(sorry for the run on).
Oh and I have a feeling that future Chayut cleints have about the same chance of being drafted by the Pats as those of Carl and Kevin........
Just my $0.02,

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

What a lame thing to do. No Arbitrator is going to put an absolute definition to what a "reasonable offer" is.

The Pats can easily can say that a "reasonable offer" for Branch would be 2 first rd picks, because if he played out his contract they could Franchise him and expect 2 first rd picks in return.

This hearing is a complete waste of time and money.

 

[RI Pats Fan]

I hate to tell that Right now Branch hasn't made much over a Million.....And it looks like he might not make anything this year with fines over $500,000 and potentially 10 game checks missing........Thi skind of stuff he is now pulling with his agent makes alot of other teams cautious about investing to much ..............Everything he has done since this trade thing was announced and everything like this he continues to do, will only hurt himself more. Sure Deion might still get the big payday in th end.....But right now believe it or not , Branch is learning a lesson we all learned when we were kids......" You can't always get what you want"

By the way....Stay off the Internet

To think, Branch is sitting at home wasting his talent instead of playing his heart out for great fans such as yourself ;-)

I stay on the internet long enough to remind myself why it's better off of it. The chatroom on gamedays is good but now I just go to the forum for news and laughs. So I think I'll stick around. I'll get a good laugh either way the way some of you guys take it so personally. Freakin' losers are more worried about it than Belichick and Pioli combined. If they believe a WR is so replaceable, they'll replace him. Big deal.

The last month has just been people frothing at the mouth in seething anger. To think of you guys pounding away furiously at your keyboards is hilarious to me especially considering Branch or not, it'll still be a good team and all that getting mad won't make a bit of difference.

WWBMD

(What would Bobby McFerrin do)

 

[SCPatBoy]

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/PHI/7180470

I was just thinking about that to. The trade was agreed to before the arbitrator could rule.

That was a seperate deal......The NFLPA got involved simply based on the premise that they fealt TO should have been a FA...There was a challenge about literature or execution of his becoming a FA or something in the contract.....The arbitrator was going to rule in favor of TO becoming a FA.....Hence being able to shop his services to any team and thats why the deal was done.......The 49ers were faced with getting no compensation! The arbitrator was going to probably make TO a FA and therefor the deal to Baltimore would be Null and Void and TO would sign with the Eagles and the 49ers again would have got nothing......There is no confusion on the fact in Branch's case that he shouldn't be or is A FA...........Not the same situations!

 

[ayjackson]

While I am firmly behind BB/SP on this one, I firmly believe a player has a right to use whatever means to seek out a better deal for himself when he feels he is grossly underpaid (and surely he must be making at the most 25% of his fair market value).

All this BS about Branch having no honour because he won't recognize his CONTRACT is complete bollox. Ask Beisel, Brown and Warfield what a contract is worth. How many times a year does each team in the NFL tear up a player contract and not pay another dime? Probably in the dozens. It's not about honour people. It's about using leverage to achieve a fair result. However, the Pats and Branch have differing ideas of what's fair.

 

[CrazyDave]

So, he did'nt sign his name on a contract to play for X amount for X number of years? If that's the case, why have contracts at all. He's in default.

 

[MrTibbs]

I don't think so. At this point I think Branch is on the same page as his lunatic agent. If he's not, he would have fired him a long time ago.

Thats the way Im starting to view this entire thing.............Ben Watson wasted no time ditching his agent after a brief holdout. Deion is gonna ride his agent till the money comes in.

 

[PatsWorldChamps]

While I am firmly behind BB/SP on this one, I firmly believe a player has a right to use whatever means to seek out a better deal for himself when he feels he is grossly underpaid (and surely he must be making at the most 25% of his fair market value).

All this BS about Branch having no honour because he won't recognize his CONTRACT is complete bollox. Ask Beisel, Brown and Warfield what a contract is worth. How many times a year does each team in the NFL tear up a player contract and not pay another dime? Probably in the dozens. It's not about honour people. It's about using leverage to achieve a fair result. However, the Pats and Branch have differing ideas of what's fair.

when a team cuts a player, they are not violating the agreement... big difference