Kangaroo said:
He was not under any binding contract period. Free agency as it is structure today did not exist. The cowboys owned his rights and no team could take him away for any amoutn of money. See you opened your mouth inserted foot again the only FA was plan B and he was not a plan B free agent. His contracted expired and he was without a contract. I never said Emmit was a free agent you made an assumption.
Here it is for you to read. Pay attention the bold parts, you might learn something!
Jones gives record deal to Emmitt
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By DENNE H. FREEMAN
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas - Jerry Jones finally got it right.
It took three contract negotiations with Emmitt Smith before the Dallas
Cowboys owner realized he couldn't negotiate with his star running back
like it was an oil and gas deal.
Smith, twice involved in bitter contract disputes with Jones, got an
eight-year contract worth $48 million including an NFL-record $15
million bonus Monday. ``I learned from the last two times,'' Jones said. ``I made some
mistakes. And I learned from them.''
Smith refused to come to the Cowboys training camp his rookie year until
Jones settled just before the first game of the regular season. Smith
missed the first two games of the 1993 season, which the Cowboys lost,
before Jones realized he had miscalculated his running back's resolve
and quickly settled.
``No deal is ever easy,'' Smith said. ``Things went wrong the first two
times. Egos got involved. But Jerry did the right thing this time.
``I didn't want the whole elephant. I wanted to leave room for Jerry to
bring in other players.''
Jones wouldn't say how he manipulated the salary cap dollars to make the
deal. But he said the NFL would give it a green light.
``I think the NFL will be excited about it,'' Jones said.
Jones will get about a $500,000 rebate from the NFL on the salaries of
suspended Michael Irvin and Shante Carver. Smith will count about $3
million against the salary cap this year.
``This is going to cost us so much I may have to stop construction on my
house,'' Jones quipped.
Jones has been paying big bucks for his star players.
Quarterback Troy Aikman signed an eight-year deal worth $50 million,
which included an $11 million bonus. Deion Sanders signed a seven-year
contract worth a total $35 million, including a bonus of $12.999 million
last September.
Smith had challenged Jones to ``do the right thing.''
``Jerry did the right thing,'' Smith said. ``All of his words became
reality today. I had a lot of faith in Jerry.''
Smith has been the NFL's leading rusher four times and has been the NFL
MVP and a Super Bowl MVP.
``We're happy Emmitt is going to be with the Cowboys as long as he plays
the game of football,'' Jones said.
``I believe if you start something you finish it,'' Smith said. ``I
played all my football at one high school, at one college (Florida), and
I wanted to play all my professional football for the Dallas Cowboys.''
Smith's new agent, Eugene Parker, met secretly with Jones and his son,
Stephen.
``I didn't want anything to leak out,'' Smith said. ``And that was hard
for me to do because it's hard for me to shut my mouth.''
Said Coach Barry Switzer: ``Emmitt Smith will be one of the greatest
players to ever play the game. I'm damn happy.''
``Will you play tonight?'' a smiling Switzer asked Smith about the New
England preseason game.
``No,'' said a smiling Smith, who usually doesn't play until the last
two preseason games.
Smith, who was in the final year of his old contract, has rushed for
8,956 yards in just six seasons.
Asked if he can last the duration of his contract, Smith said, ``It's
going to be a test to see how I feel in another eight years. I think I
still have a lot of run left in me.''
Did you learn anything to boys and girls. Kangaroo can't read. It simply states that Emmitt was under contract from his old one and also goes on to say that he held out his rookie year as well. Not one, but two holdouts. I guess your heros aren't that much better than TO after all.
and you're the one with the agenda.....