Vikes dock Williamson's pay for missing game for grandmother's funeral

[dreadlocks34 0]

If you read all of the articles about this, they talked about all of this before it happened. The way it is being presented here is if it were a surprise to Williamson that he wasn't being paid for the week. He was fully aware for that fact before he decided not to play on Sunday and made that choice. Good for him to pick family over money but it was his decision. The guy also has a brother recovering from a car accident as well so he has alot going on obviously. But she died earlier last week, I believe on Monday. The funeral was the following Monday. He chose to take the week off and the team allowed him to do it without pay. I don't see what the big deal is here.

 

The other part of the money not being talked about is when you are talking about a game check, you are not talking about even 1/16th of his salary technically. Taking into account the guarantee/signing bonus money he has already been paid in his rookie contract, the amount he was not paid was not even close to that.

 

Fine. Pay the guy. But I can guarantee you 100% somewhere in the league the next guy is going to come up with something else and the guy after that and so on as to why they should get paid because they have some obligation. This is another great example of using emotion over reason and standards.

 

And I don't like Zygi or even Childress in the slightest.

[Mephisto 15]

It's not a big deal except to the uninformed masses that frequent this forum. Dumbasses.

[kilroy69 1,024]

It's not a big deal except to the uninformed masses that frequent this forum. Dumbasses.

Ummmm..yea about that. Its the front page article on espn.com. I doubt its just us here that find it distasteful.

 

This is TERRIBLE press for the vikes anyway they look at it.

[Mephisto 15]

Ummmm..yea about that. Its the front page article on espn.com. I doubt its just us here that find it distasteful.

 

This is TERRIBLE press for the vikes anyway they look at it.

 

Who gives a fock? Because it's "an article on ESPN" - it's somehow validated? ESPN is no different than any other media outlet - if it can stir the pot to draw attention to themselves, they're gonna do it.

 

Williamson was allowed to go whenever he wanted with the understanding that if he wasn't there on gameday he wouldn't be paid. He made his choice.

 

The only people who are making this non-story into an issue are those not even involved.

[kilroy69 1,024]

I disagree but we all have our opinions about the matter. There are enough people that find it wrong that its going to cause bad PUB for the vikes.

[AnaheimRams 28]

You guys... comparing this situation to your job is stupid.

 

If you miss work for a day or two to attend a funeral, paperwork piles up... you spend three or four days working through lunch... and you get caught up.

 

He missed a game... he gets paid to be at the games... that's it.

 

If he had missed practice on Thursday... he wouldn't have been docked.

 

Gameday is gameday... there is no chance to make up the work.

[Phurfur 70]

I disagree but we all have our opinions about the matter. There are enough people that find it wrong that its going to cause bad PUB for the vikes.

 

 

Yes, they are the same people that want 2 weeks off with pay for any funeral they attend. Money always makes grieving easier. The more the better.

[Signature_Athletes 0]

Listening to the local (Minnesota) sports radio on my way home from work, they were saying that Williamson may have been out of town for 9 days. I caught it a bit into the discussion, but it sounds like he left last Monday and maybe returned Tuesday or Wednesday. If this is the case, I may change my opinion of the situation. Is it possible that he did not have any communication with the team during these days he was away? There has to be other circumstances beyond the funeral that caused the Vikes organization to make this decision. I know everyone grieves in there own way and their own amount of time, but if he were out 9 days, I don't think there are many of us in the working world that would be able to take this many days off. It sucks that this is the way it is.

 

Maybe some more info will continue to come out in the next few days to justify the decision. If not, this organization is pretty pathetic!

[delusional247 0]

can't fault a guy for having family first in a time like that

[kilroy69 1,024]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Grieving Troy Williamson will get his last game check back.

 

Vikings coach Brad Childress called reporters Saturday to share the news, citing a need to change course that "came ringing back" to him following a weekly meeting with the veteran players on his leadership committee.

 

 

 

The Vikings say it's just business. But ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler thinks it's also heartless, classless and cheap to dock Troy Williamson a game check for a family crisis. Story

 

Last week, Williamson left the team to be with his family in South Carolina after the death of his grandmother, Celestine, to whom he was very close. An older brother of Williamson's, Carlton, has also been in and out of a coma following a September car crash.

 

In a statement issued by his agent, David Canter, Williamson thanked those who spoke up for him and offered support to his family during a trying time. He said he'll donate the returned check to charity in honor of his grandmother.

 

"My wish is that the issue is over, and that I can now go about being a football player and putting this matter behind me," Williamson said.

 

Williamson, the seventh overall selection in the 2005 draft who has produced little for Minnesota in 2½ seasons, chose to stay at home the entire week and not return for last Sunday's game.

 

The Vikings wanted the wide receiver back sooner, though, and docked him one paycheck for his absence -- which amounted to more than $25,000 of his $435,000 base salary. Players on the active roster are paid 17 times each season, for 16 games plus the bye week.

 

"I think the whole approach and intent, as with any organization, is to have guidelines so you have some continuity and don't do it haphazardly," Childress said.

 

In explaining the decision earlier this week, the coach pointed to other players who returned a day or two after deaths in the family.

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, Childress acknowledged he should have been more flexible and indicated owner Zygi Wilf was behind the revisitation of the issue.

 

"I think the important thing is everybody grieves differently. That's the thing that I learned, or we learned, in this," Childress said. "In the end, it's not important to be right, but to get it right."

 

He said Williamson would play Sunday against Green Bay "in all likelihood."

 

With sagging ticket sales and an unfulfilled drive for a new stadium, the Vikings (3-5) have been more proactive about public relations. Over the last several seasons, they've drawn criticism for a number of actions, words, or lack of words, that have come across as rigid or cold.

 

Most memorably, they cut Marcus Robinson last Christmas Eve after the wide receiver had had fallen out of favor with Childress.

 

NFL coaches don't often admit mistakes, but Childress has done that more than once in his second year on the job. After rookie running back Adrian Peterson carried the ball only twice in the second half of a loss to the Packers, Childress acknowledged two weeks later -- after the team's bye -- that the coaches weren't keeping close enough track of Peterson's touches.

 

The team will have to shell out another extra check this week, actually, after releasing quarterback Koy Detmer before the trip to Green Bay.

 

This came four days after he was signed as insurance in light of head injuries to Tarvaris Jackson and Kelly Holcomb. Holcomb's neck apparently improved enough in recent days for Minnesota to make the move.

 

Jackson is still a game-time decision, Childress said, following last week's concussion that knocked him out of the game against San Diego. Brooks Bollinger, who played well in relief, is the favorite to start Sunday.

 

Cornerback Ronyell Whitaker, who plays primarily on special teams, was re-signed to the roster after being cut to make room for Detmer.

[dreadlocks34 0]

Good for him. He stuck to his morals and family. I still am not sure what was correct as far as should he be paid or not, but the backlash toward Childress was so bad he had no choice but to give in. Hopefully on a positive Viking note this is another nail in the Childress coffin toward his exit after the season.

[Mephisto 15]

They caved to the public pressure... pressure that was no business of anyone's. The Vikings did nothing wrong by not paying him and the fact that they reversed course is a testament to their generosity, no matter how unnecessary is actually is.

[kilroy69 1,024]

They caved to the public pressure... pressure that was no business of anyone's. The Vikings did nothing wrong by not paying him and the fact that they reversed course is a testament to their generosity, no matter how unnecessary is actually is.

Again we disagree. You could see this coming. The bad pub that they were getting far outweighed the check that they docked him. It looked bad to the public that supports them as a team and to potential free agents.

[smashmouths@blf 33]

Good job Vikings on this one. Whether or not they think they were right, it looked really bad to the media and fans. Smart move.

[swamp dog 0]

when my father died i took 3 days off from work.

 

i'll let that speak for what i think of this situation.

[Phurfur 70]

Sean Jensen, of the Pioneer Press, reports Minnesota Vikings WR Troy Williamson said he will donate the game check returned to him by the team to a charity in his grandmother's honor.