jem88
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Just read Michael Silver's article saying that T.O. deserves the money based on what he did in the Super Bowl. As far as I can remember, it was T.O. who insisted on playing against the wishes of the team and advice of the team doctors. But thinking about star athletes playing through pain brought me to another example: Emmitt Smith, in the first year of a new contract, put in the grittiest performance I have ever seen, single handedly winning us the division against the Giants with a severely injured shoulder.
Now honestly, how would you have felt if Emmitt had pulled a 'T.O.' and demanded a new contract after the season, what with the aforementioned performance and the Super Bowl MVP that followed. I wouldn't have liked it at all, but even more to the point, I wouldn't have even fathomed the possibility of Emmitt pulling such a stunt. It was such a huge relief when Emmitt signed his contract, knowing that we wouldn't have to suffer through another holdout (and Derrick Lassic as our tailback.)
I guess the point is, T.O. isn't the first player to pull a 'Willis Reed' while in the first year of a new contract, yet I can't remember any other player demanding a new contract after one year (and let's not forget that T.O. contract makes him a top 3 earner for wideouts, which isn't bad considering he is by no means the clearcut #1 WR in the league.) Somebody should point this out to Michael Siver and to T.O. Yes his Super Bowl performance was heroic, but it wasn't the first such example. This latest incident is why he can never be considered in the same breath as great players such as Emmitt and Michael Irvin.
Now honestly, how would you have felt if Emmitt had pulled a 'T.O.' and demanded a new contract after the season, what with the aforementioned performance and the Super Bowl MVP that followed. I wouldn't have liked it at all, but even more to the point, I wouldn't have even fathomed the possibility of Emmitt pulling such a stunt. It was such a huge relief when Emmitt signed his contract, knowing that we wouldn't have to suffer through another holdout (and Derrick Lassic as our tailback.)
I guess the point is, T.O. isn't the first player to pull a 'Willis Reed' while in the first year of a new contract, yet I can't remember any other player demanding a new contract after one year (and let's not forget that T.O. contract makes him a top 3 earner for wideouts, which isn't bad considering he is by no means the clearcut #1 WR in the league.) Somebody should point this out to Michael Siver and to T.O. Yes his Super Bowl performance was heroic, but it wasn't the first such example. This latest incident is why he can never be considered in the same breath as great players such as Emmitt and Michael Irvin.
