Emmitt Says He Wanted to Join Dolphins in 1993: Shula Said No

[noshame]

I loved Emmitt in uniform.
Same way with Parsons.
Although I'd take 2 #1s for Micah in a heartbeat

 

[links18]

He didn't hold out - he wasn't under contract. He was a free agent.

OK, was there a contract on the table at the time? I don't remember all the details of the situation.

 

[TwentyOne]

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story...no-on-dolphins-don-shula-said-no/69912639007/

"'I picked up the phone and called Don Shula myself and told him I wanted to come to Miami and play for Miami,' Smith said. 'Because I knew Dan Marino didn’t have a running game.' Smith said he told Shula, 'I want to help you and help Dan get a championship. I said, "Bring me back to the state of Florida." He said, "Well, I don’t know if I could make that offer." He said, "If I do make this offer and you don’t come, all my other players will see what I put on the table for you and it’s going to mess up my chemistry." Smith’s response was he wanted Shula to 'just put something on the table' that would make Cowboys owner Jerry Jones say, “I cannot match it.”' Still, Smith said, Shula wouldn’t budge: 'I can’t do that.' Smith was incredulous. 'I said to myself, ‘Really?’ ”

BLASPHEMY!

 

[CashMan]

I don't think Emmitt was looking for the trade, I think he was looking for someone to drive up his price.

 

[Thomas82]

OK, was there a contract on the table at the time? I don't remember all the details of the situation.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but Jerry actually tried to lowball Emmitt. Even when Emmitt finally did sign, he still didn't get what he asked for. He asked for $17M, but got $13.6M, which still made him the highest paid RB at the time.

 

[RonnieT24]

You're right about the score.
I think if Emmitt had started the season, we would have gone 16-0.

Nope.. because that helmet to the thigh on his first carry against Atlanta was still going to happen and thus the short week Thanksgiving Day game against Miami in the snow without him was still doing to happen as well. But that team certainly would have gone 14-2 and rolled through the playoffs.

 

[MikeT22]

Nah, Jerry was the guy even back then. Jimmy could only make roster moves with the middle to the bottom of the roster, he had to get Jerry’s approval to make a move with any of the top half of the roster, everyone knows that.

Jimmy made the decisions and Jerry just rubber stamped. Jerry was GM in name only.

 

[KJJ]

Never heard this before.

 

[tyke1doe]

Nope.. because that helmet to the thigh on his first carry against Atlanta was still going to happen and thus the short week Thanksgiving Day game against Miami in the snow without him was still doing to happen as well. But that team certainly would have gone 14-2 and rolled through the playoffs.

We don't know that. It's the butterfly effect.

 

[Runwildboys]

This is the same guy that initially asked for a fee to appear at the Texas Sports HOF after they called to tell him that he had been elected....not making this up. Luckily, his agent or someone close to him jumped in and set him straight before it leaked out everywhere.

Definitely not the person he shows the public. I found that out the day I met him.

 

[Cowboys5217]

Nope.. because that helmet to the thigh on his first carry against Atlanta was still going to happen and thus the short week Thanksgiving Day game against Miami in the snow without him was still doing to happen as well. But that team certainly would have gone 14-2 and rolled through the playoffs.

There's no guarantee the Atlanta game plays out the exact same way if you change any previous moment. If you add even a sneeze into the timeline that wasn't there before then everything after that is no longer determinate. You are in a completely new universe with a different light cone future.

 

[Cowboys5217]

Definitely not the person he shows the public. I found that out the day I met him.

I got an inkling that Emmitt may not be the most pleasant fellow to be around at one of his pro bowls. He was working a sideline cam for fun and was very standoffish and rude to an interviewer just doing their job. It lowered my opinion of the man, but not the player.

 

[Maverick84]

And Charles Haley implanting a table into a wall.

And for Michael and Charles to beat up the wall in the locker room after that second lost. That got Jed’s attention.

it was a helmet that he threw into the wall

some Cowboys fans YOU are...

 

[Maverick84]

Definitely not the person he shows the public. I found that out the day I met him.

can you elaborate? don't drop something like that and not give us more man, come on lol

 

[Flamma]

Suddenly Emmitt isn't as God-like as I once perceived him to be lol.

At the time he didn't have a contract, and Jerry was lowballing him. He wasn't holding out, technically, they just couldn't agree on the money. He's not going to play without a contract. It was a weird situation.

 

[CowboyFrog]

As if Emmitt was a free agent? Shula couldn’t have signed him for just money. Would have been a two first rounder situation and I still don’t think Jimmy (yeah, not Jerry…the actual guy who was in charge of personnel) would have done it even then.

Things were WAAAAYY different back then for the Cowboys, the RB position, and the league and game itself.

WAY different.

Funny Jimmy was all in the media because "The man in charge" wouldnt pay his RB, maybe Jimmy was using brilliant mind games but i pretty much thought Jerry was making the decision because Jimmy doesnt seem to be a good actor.

 

[fivetwos]

Funny Jimmy was all in the media because "The man in charge" wouldnt pay his RB, maybe Jimmy was using brilliant mind games but i pretty much thought Jerry was making the decision because Jimmy doesnt seem to be a good actor.

Well Jerry was writing the check, so of course he was involved, but being traded to anyone would have been handled by Jimmy.

Remember those two parted ways only six months later, so tempers were likely already at a high.

My point was more directed at Emmitt for saying Shula saying no was the only thing in the way of him going there. Far from it.

 

[tyke1doe]

it was a helmet that he threw into the wall

some Cowboys fans YOU are...

I tried to research in Google archives for the account but couldn't find it. I knew he threw something, though.

 

[tyke1doe]

I got an inkling that Emmitt may not be the most pleasant fellow to be around at one of his pro bowls. He was working a sideline cam for fun and was very standoffish and rude to an interviewer just doing their job. It lowered my opinion of the man, but not the player.

I met him one time. He came with Deion Sanders and another Cowboy player I can't remember. Might have been Kenny Gant?
Anyway, Deion was promoting his book, and Emmitt was very standoffish. I was surprised because I thought one of my favorite Cowboys at the time would be more personable. Oops!

 

[CowboyFrog]

Well Jerry was writing the check, so of course he was involved, but being traded to anyone would have been handled by Jimmy.

Remember those two parted ways only six months later, so tempers were likely already at a high.

My point was more directed at Emmitt for saying Shula saying no was the only thing in the way of him going there. Far from it.

I think Jimmy had more say than any other coach we have had for sure but Jerry was way more involved in things than people think. Literally thier 2 egos proved the saying "Cant have 2 top dogs in the same kennel"....obviously they both couldnt understand that they needed each other to be successful. Jimmy had free reign in Miami and couldn't make it work, Jerry has 27 years of proof his one man show is also lacking.