Sean Tomlinson of b/r on The Other Side of NFL Free Agency

[top dawg]

Many of us know on an intellectual level that the NFL is ultimately a profit-driven business like any other, but we still get upset when players get cut, get paid (too much) or hold out due to our own emotional feelings---unbridled fanaticism---as it pertains to our team. From this same intellectual standpoint, many of us say that we understand the player's perspective, but at many times the human side---perhaps "family side"---of the equation is a mere afterthought, a largely hollow nicety or basic rhetoric that we utter without really thinking about the contractual repercussions across families and, sometimes, communities.

Sean Tomlinson gives you just a little food for thought by showing you just a sliver of the other side by sharing some of the thoughts and lives of Benjamin Watson, Jasper Brinkley and Herman Moore. 

Don't get it wrong. They are living their dream, and financially better than most of us, but it just adds a little bit of perspective. 

Lance Moore says a lot with this:

"It's a weird dynamic when a guy can sign for five years for X amount of dollars, and then three years later, a team can say, 'We don't want to pay you that much now.' Then they cut you. But if a player is outperforming his deal and he doesn't want to report to camp because he thinks he should be paid significantly more, the player's actions are frowned upon not only by the team and front office but also by fans and everybody who thinks they should be at work."

The next time that you feel the need to decry a contract or holdout, perhaps you will remember that the players are more than just what they provide for entertainment on a football field. They really do have their lives and families to consider.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2619361-the-other-side-of-nfl-free-agency?tsm=2