Reuters
On Monday, Saints running back Reggie Bush made waves by suggesting that he enjoys the totally free time flowing from the lockout. Earlier in the day, Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall produced similar observations.
The distinction? Bush claims he was joking. Hall apparently wasn’t.
“I’m surely enjoying this time off,” Hall said, per Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “I’ve still been working out and doing issues like that, certainly staying in shape, but to not have any pressures of being [in Ashburn], strict rules and points like that, it surely feels very good. Feels very good to just have a break. You know, we generally start this stuff up March 15, so to have all that time off feels fantastic proper now.”
Hall said that, by pure luck, he was in town during the 1-day lifting of the lockout. So he showed up for workouts and, depending on how long the lockout lasts, possibly earned the full amount of his $ 500,000 offseason workout bonus.
“I’m hardly ever in Tidewater, decided to go down there 1 weekend, end up obtaining an e-mail saying official workouts commence tomorrow, be there,” Hall said. “So I hopped in the automobile, came up, got my workout in. The next day we got locked back out.
“[So I] get my workout bonus, undoubtedly stoked about that. They can lock us out [until] whenever, since we do not get paid appropriate now anyway. That’s the small misconception that a lot of fans do not know. We get paid those 17 weeks, that’s when we get paid. The offseason we do not get paid anything. Correct now I’m just enjoying not having any mandatory workouts and points like that,” Hall added.
“It feels kind of good to still be on summer vacation, so to say,” Hall said. “I’m enjoying myself, loving the downtime. Body’s finding a chance to really actually heal up. I feel great.”
Still, comments like this make the fans really feel some thing other than very good. At a time when fans are ready to focus their frustration on anybody and everyone connected to the work stoppage, fans will react negatively to any comments from players indicating that they like the lockout — specially in light of the truth that the official position by the NFLPA* is that the lockout is inflicting irreparable harm on all players.
The truth is that distinct classes of players view the lockout differently. Established veterans are far more inclined to like it, since they don’t have to endure the grind and they likewise don’t have to worry about a newcomer trying to take their jobs. Players due to turn out to be totally free agents would surely prefer that the lockout end sooner rather than later, so that they can sign new contracts — and possibly earn large signing bonuses. Rookies, although unsigned, want to become acclimated to the game. Young players who are on their way up likewise value the opportunity to get greater.
Still, the players who regard the lockout as a welcome break from having to function out need to most likely maintain their sentiments to themselves.
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