Published: About an hour ago
Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE
The St. Louis Rams made a good faith gesture by taking cornerback Janoris Jenkins at his word in a pre-draft arrangement about the talented defender’s financial management. Now Jenkins contends that no such agreement ever took place and that under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), such discussion is impermissible. After plenty of problems during his collegiate career, this would definitely be considered starting off his NFL stint on the wrong foot.
According to Jenkins’ agent, Malik Shareef: “At no point before, during or after the 2012 NFL Draft was there ever any promise from us to the Rams that Janoris would hire a specific financial adviser.†The Rams however say that Lou Taylor of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment was to advise Jenkins on his finances. That is where the current hang-up lies with contract negotiations and the troubled rookie.
32 draftees remain unsigned and Jenkins has already hired financial adviser Rich DeLuca of Merrill Lynch to take care of his money. Still it may not be money in the bank under the new CBA as the Rams have chosen to defer signing bonus payments in the past to rookies and specifically first rounder Michael Brockers and second round receiver Brian Quick’s contracts have deferred money structured in. 25 percent of Quick’s bonus money and 50 percent of Brockers’ has been deferred until 2013 which is fully legal from a salary cap standpoint.
Given the fact that Jenkins has been quite unpredictable in the past and that new Head Coach Jeff Fisher has plenty of experience with a top-tier cornerback talent gone wrong in Pacman Jones, the Rams are likely looking to defer as much bonus money as possible. This could lead to a lengthy and messy holdout situation that is not ideal for either party as they prepare for the 2012 season.
Follow Anthony Blake on Twitter @ChargingBolts or on Facebook at Anthony Mizarkus Blake
Buy St. Louis Rams Tickets | Buy St. Louis Rams Apparel
No comments:
Post a Comment