Didn't a similar situation occur last year with McNair, and didn't the Titans get their hands slapped when McNair filed a grievance? Wouldn't you expect a similar result here, especially given that Culpepper seems to be working closely with the union?

 Anonymous -- 6/09/2007 6:53 PM  

Thanks for the comment, and your prediction of a grievance seems very plausible.

Having said that, and as you imply, one difference between the situations of McNair and Culpepper is that McNair had an agent, Bus Cook, representing him, while Culpepper does not, although both have the NFLPA on their side.

Another difference is that while the Titans barred McNair from their training camp complex, the Dolphins have only barred Culpepper from certain on-field drills.

Also, when arbitrator John Feerick held for the NFLPA in the McNair/Titans dispute, he only allowed for McNair to rejoin his teammates for workouts, which is something that, at least arguably, Culpepper can already do with the Dolphins (depending upon how one defines "rejoining teammates for workouts"--does it mean partaking in the same on-field drills or can it also mean lifting weights in the same room?).

But I still agree with you, a grievance seems like a good bet at this point.

 Michael McCann -- 6/09/2007 7:26 PM  

I have to give credit to Daunte Culpepper and his strategy. Involving the union is a tactical masterstroke and will allow him to extricate himself from the awkward situation from afar.

I'm with Rick Karcher on this one, the union should be handling all cases of grievances between teams and players anyway without agent involvement - this is, first off, the union's raison d'être and secondly, it should prevent later allegations of tampering or impropriety on the account of the team or the agent. Union leadership and staff are trained and paid to deal with these specific issues. The bonus of this approach is that is also creates precedent for future similar cases and will, hopefully, prevent such ridiculous situations from arising. Both the NFLPA and NFL teams should have a greater understanding of what can and cannot be done in such situations and that cannot but help future player-team relationships.

I still can't quite believe the Dolphins have used this tactic nor understand the logic of dumping a 30-year-old QB with a bum knee for a 37-year-old QB with head injuries. I wish I could get Cam Cameron to explain this to me.

 Jason Chung -- 6/09/2007 9:57 PM  

Why not just name him the 4th team QB and tell him that in that role he won't be getting many (or any) reps in team drills?

 Hongmi -- 6/10/2007 9:23 AM  

Along a similar line of players without agent representation, Gilbert Arenas announced that he will opt out of his contract after next season to become a free agent. Moreover, he isn't looking to fill his representation void after he parted ways with his agent last September.

Straight from today's Washington Post article (http://tinyurl.com/2mbg9m):

"Arenas also said he does not plan on hiring an agent. He parted ways with agent Dan Fegan last summer.

'I don't need an agent,' Arenas said. 'I can do all of this research myself.'

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the most the Wizards could offer Arenas this summer is a three-year extension worth between $60 million and $70 million, but the deal wouldn't kick in until his original contract expires following the 2008-09 season."

I guess unlike Daunte, Gilbert has the salary scales in the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement to help with any negotiating. (I guess it doesn't take an agent to help Gilbert ask for the maximum allowed under the CBA.) However, if Gilbert's knee injury was as bad as Daunte's, I bet he would probably seek representation - if he chose to even opt out of his contract.

 rosco -- 6/10/2007 8:43 PM  

Here's something Daunte can't do on his own that an agent could: broker a trade to another team.

This is increasingly common, especially with disgruntled players. I saw it in action last summer when, for a modern Plimpton book I'm writing about the NFL, I kicked ``for'' the Denver Broncos.

Agents work the phones, call GMs, propose trades and then let the GMs sort it out if they're interested.

 stefan fatsis -- 6/11/2007 10:27 AM  

I am surprised that the grievance wasn't the first option.

Guess that's one of the benefits of having an agent; instant research and recommendations on league policy.

 Jarrett Carter -- 6/28/2007 11:07 PM  

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