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POSTED 10:35 a.m. EDT, May 31, 2007
JERSEY CHANGE WOULD COST PORTER BIG MONEY
In past years, there have been plenty of stories about players who paid teammates money in order to get them to give up a given jersey number. On one occasion, a transaction of this nature resulted in a lawsuit after Commanders running back Clinton Portis refused to fork over the balance due on such a deal to a guy who had since been cut from the team.
But we've never previously heard of a player being prevented from changing numbers due to inventory control issues.
Raiders receiver Jerry Porter said earlier this year that he would change from No. 84 to No. 81. He subsequently was informed that, in order to do so, he would have to reimburse the Raiders and Reebok for $210,000 in unsold jerseys bearing Porter's name and the No. 84.
Apparently, one of the issues at work here was that of notice. "The more advance notice a player can provide when requesting a number change, the less chance there is of financial ramifications," Alic said.
But it's unclear how much notice is required. Porter said as early as February 21 that he planned to make the change. When exactly did Reebok begin its production run of $210,000 worth of shirts for an underachieving malcontent on a chronically crappy team?
We also think that a "you change it, you bought it" rule could lead to all sorts of strange complications. What if Porter converts to Islam in July and changes his name? Or what if he simply decides to retire? Will he be asked in either case to buy all of the jerseys that were made in reliance upon the fact that "Porter 84" would be playing for the Raiders this year?
And what if he dies as a result of an accident in which he was in some way negligent? Can the NFL, his team, and/or Reebok sue his estate for recovery of money spent making jerseys bearing his name?
We assume that reality here is that the teams have full control over who is issued a given number. But the notion of a team handing a bill to a player who wants to make a change doesn't sit well with us, and we have a feeling that the Raiders and other teams would only raise an issue like this as to players that the franchise decides it doesn't really like.
That's the real story here. Even though Porter is trying to make nice, the relationship is obviously broken. In an era where NFL teams that truly want to be competitive would spend twice the salary cap limit or more if it meant winning a Super Bowl, the Raiders' decision not to eat the cost of a bunch of jerseys that they still could have sold for $10 bucks each tells us that they'd love to eject Porter from the "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" club.
JERSEY CHANGE WOULD COST PORTER BIG MONEY
In past years, there have been plenty of stories about players who paid teammates money in order to get them to give up a given jersey number. On one occasion, a transaction of this nature resulted in a lawsuit after Commanders running back Clinton Portis refused to fork over the balance due on such a deal to a guy who had since been cut from the team.
But we've never previously heard of a player being prevented from changing numbers due to inventory control issues.
Raiders receiver Jerry Porter said earlier this year that he would change from No. 84 to No. 81. He subsequently was informed that, in order to do so, he would have to reimburse the Raiders and Reebok for $210,000 in unsold jerseys bearing Porter's name and the No. 84.
Apparently, one of the issues at work here was that of notice. "The more advance notice a player can provide when requesting a number change, the less chance there is of financial ramifications," Alic said.
But it's unclear how much notice is required. Porter said as early as February 21 that he planned to make the change. When exactly did Reebok begin its production run of $210,000 worth of shirts for an underachieving malcontent on a chronically crappy team?
We also think that a "you change it, you bought it" rule could lead to all sorts of strange complications. What if Porter converts to Islam in July and changes his name? Or what if he simply decides to retire? Will he be asked in either case to buy all of the jerseys that were made in reliance upon the fact that "Porter 84" would be playing for the Raiders this year?
And what if he dies as a result of an accident in which he was in some way negligent? Can the NFL, his team, and/or Reebok sue his estate for recovery of money spent making jerseys bearing his name?
We assume that reality here is that the teams have full control over who is issued a given number. But the notion of a team handing a bill to a player who wants to make a change doesn't sit well with us, and we have a feeling that the Raiders and other teams would only raise an issue like this as to players that the franchise decides it doesn't really like.
That's the real story here. Even though Porter is trying to make nice, the relationship is obviously broken. In an era where NFL teams that truly want to be competitive would spend twice the salary cap limit or more if it meant winning a Super Bowl, the Raiders' decision not to eat the cost of a bunch of jerseys that they still could have sold for $10 bucks each tells us that they'd love to eject Porter from the "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" club.
