La'El Collins to the Cowboys

[Guiness]

La'El Collins signed by the Cowboys to a 3yr $1.65M fully guaranteed contract with no offset language and the ability (like all UDFAs) to renegotiate in 2 years. Story also says 25 teams contacted him after he got through his interview with the police.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/07/collins-hasnt-been-officially-cleared/

He got shafted by the league, but in the end he got not too shabby a deal.

[Cheesehead Craig]

How did he get shafted by the league?

[George Cumby]

Dunno if he was shafted, but there was a collective rush to judgement on the guy. Given the circumstances I don't blame anyone for making that rush to judgement.

[Rastak]

League didn't do a thing to the guy.

Teams passed on him due to concerns. The CBA spells out how to get into the supplemental draft and he CLEARLY didn't qualify.

[Guiness]

He was shafted out of a few million dollars. He likely would've been a first round choice, but (so far as anyone can tell*) for circumstances beyond his control he was undraftable.

Sure, he got a sweet deal for a UDFA, but he is not making near what he would've. The projected salary for the 16th pick of the draft is over $9M with a $4M signing bonus. I picked this because it's halfway through the round and he was projected to go in the top half. Even if he had lasted until the Patriots were on the clock, he would've gotten $6.9M as pick 32.

I know the rules surrounding the supplemental draft wouldn't allow Collins to enter it, but in the post Rice-Peterson-Hardy NFL, the rules changed. The NFL arbitrarily changed (you could argue bent. Really bent) and they could've done the same wrt the supplemental draft rules. All Goodell had to say was "ok, if he's cleared, he can enter it" and it would've been done. That would've allowed the situation to play itself out without any posturing, threats etc.

*all the information we've seen so far point to him having no involvement.

[red]

he did it to himself, he had almost a whole week before the draft to go talk to the police and clear his name, he instead chose to dodge the cops like he had something to hide

[Guiness]

League didn't do a thing to the guy.

Teams passed on him due to concerns. The CBA spells out how to get into the supplemental draft and he CLEARLY didn't qualify.

I know he didn't qualify, but the landscape has changed pretty significantly. The 'say Hannibal Lector had an eating disorder' comment is no longer true. The Seahawks have said they would not have drafted Frank Clarke if he had charges pending - he got off with a minor fine, but if that hadn't been resolved in time for the draft, what would've happened to him?

I think players should be able to voluntarily withdraw from the draft if there are non-football issue that affect their draft status - and cost them a whole pile of money.

[Guiness]

he did it to himself, he had almost a whole week before the draft to go talk to the police and clear his name, he instead chose to dodge the cops like he had something to hide

If the police wanted to talk to me about a murder investigation of a pregnant woman I used to date, I'd take my sweet damn time, get my ducks in a row and head down with a lawyer too! I can't say I blame him at all for the way he handled it.

Something to hide or no, you want to make sure you handle that situation right, and rushing down to sit in an interview room in Baton Rouge with some homicide detectives seems fraught with disaster.

[Carolina_Packer]

I know he didn't qualify, but the landscape has changed pretty significantly. The 'say Hannibal Lector had an eating disorder' comment is no longer true. The Seahawks have said they would not have drafted Frank Clarke if he had charges pending - he got off with a minor fine, but if that hadn't been resolved in time for the draft, what would've happened to him?

I think players should be able to voluntarily withdraw from the draft if there are non-football issue that affect their draft status - and cost them a whole pile of money.

Sounds like a perfect storm scenario. First off, tragically, two people are no longer with us, including a baby. The timing for Collins is very unfortunate, but it is what it is.

There should be a rule or regulation that is collectively bargained that allows for a player to withdraw, even at a late stage, possibly due to circumstances beyond the individual's control.

First off, if he has any emotional connection to Brittany Mills, he should be allowed to be a human being and grieve her loss. But also, if he becomes more than just a person of interest to the authorities, then he would have more than just football to worry about. Let him take a step back, get things sorted out, while protecting his draft stock and earning power by letting him go back in the draft the next year.

If he can't because it turns out he was directly involved, then good for the league and the team that may have mistakenly drafted him. If he wasn't at all involved, then he gets another shot at the guaranteed money he will now miss out on. The only down-side is having to sit out.

[smuggler]

He could have gone the supplemental draft route...

[pbmax]

he did it to himself, he had almost a whole week before the draft to go talk to the police and clear his name, he instead chose to dodge the cops like he had something to hide

There is no guarantee that conversation is going to go well. Delay to be sure is pretty reasonable.

Remember, he needs not to just talk to them to salvage the draft situation, he needs to come out close to scot-free. Police don't normally prioritize publicly ruling persons of interest out of the woods.

[pbmax]

He could have gone the supplemental draft route...

What is the deadline to decide on that? I wonder if they had the chance to buy time and failed or if they were unsure about the investigation.

My bet is they were privately certain about the investigation's results, but the NFL leakers made him radioactive as the draft approached.

[Guiness]

He could have gone the supplemental draft route...

What is the deadline to decide on that?

The way PFT presented it, he never could've. They quoted the following rule

“No player may elect to bypass a Draft for which he is eligible to apply for selection in a Supplemental Draft,” Article 6, Section 2(c) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement declares."

[pbmax]

The way PFT presented it, he never could've. They quoted the following rule

Bernie Kosar got around this by delaying his graduation until the summer before his senior year. So yeah, doesn't look like it has changed much.

[mraynrand]

I think he got bad advice from Ray Lewis

[Pugger]

He could have gone the supplemental draft route...

He asked the league if he could go in the supplemental draft and was told no.

From everything I've read it doesn't appear he is a suspect in this case so I don't know what the issue is here. :???:

[esoxx]

So the Cowboys essentially have three #1 picks this draft. Wonderful

[pbmax]

So the Cowboys essentially have three #1 picks this draft. Wonderful

Stephen Jones (son of Jerrah) is really draining the fun out of the Boys.

[Guiness]

Bernie Kosar got around this by delaying his graduation until the summer before his senior year. So yeah, doesn't look like it has changed much.

How did he game that, and why did he want to be in the supplemental instead of the regular draft?

[Rastak]

He was shafted out of a few million dollars. He likely would've been a first round choice, but (so far as anyone can tell*) for circumstances beyond his control he was undraftable.

Sure, he got a sweet deal for a UDFA, but he is not making near what he would've. The projected salary for the 16th pick of the draft is over $9M with a $4M signing bonus. I picked this because it's halfway through the round and he was projected to go in the top half. Even if he had lasted until the Patriots were on the clock, he would've gotten $6.9M as pick 32.

I know the rules surrounding the supplemental draft wouldn't allow Collins to enter it, but in the post Rice-Peterson-Hardy NFL, the rules changed. The NFL arbitrarily changed (you could argue bent. Really bent) and they could've done the same wrt the supplemental draft rules. All Goodell had to say was "ok, if he's cleared, he can enter it" and it would've been done. That would've allowed the situation to play itself out without any posturing, threats etc.

*all the information we've seen so far point to him having no involvement.


Goodell has always changed the rules when it suits him and he's lost in court more than once. This is not new.

Letting someone in because they went undrafted opens a HUGE precendent for which he was brilliant to avoid. Look, I got nothing against Collins but this was nothing more than unfortunate timing and that's how life is.

[Rastak]

How did he game that, and why did he want to be in the supplemental instead of the regular draft?

Thatw as a while ago and I don't recall the why.....the late graduation qualified him I guess. It's all spelled out.

[Carolina_Packer]

He asked the league if he could go in the supplemental draft and was told no.

From everything I've read it doesn't appear he is a suspect in this case so I don't know what the issue is here. :???:

Pugger, I believe that clubs were worried that person of interest would turn into something worse.

[pbmax]

How did he game that, and why did he want to be in the supplemental instead of the regular draft?

He was graduating early. He needed only a set number of credits and he could schedule the last of them in the summer, I believe. There was much confusion. If you go back to look at mock drafts, Kosar to the Vikings was a popular choice. There was one put on the web just a few days ago, though not for Kosar related reasons. I also vaguely remember he might have been a red-shirt sophomore (three years of school plus possible early enrollment his senior year of high school) and that unusual status might have played into it.


Kosar graduated from college with a double major in Finance and economics. He took 18 credit hours during the spring of 1985, and an additional six during the summer in order to graduate early.[3]

Now the conspiracy theorists (many Vikings fans at the time and a few elsewhere) thought that he and his family received coaching from the Browns on how to arrange this. The theory in Cleveland was that he wanted to play for the home team. Possible he wanted to avoid the Vikings as well, but his true motivation was never reported as far as I know.

In the regular 1985 draft, the Browns traded for the Bills first round pick in 1986, which allowed them to use the Bills first overall pick in the 1985 supplemental draft. (If you use a supplemental pick, you lose that round pick in the next year's draft). Kosar had to declare for the draft AND he had to graduate from school to be eligible as a redshirt sophomore.

So he had a loophole but he also made an announcement before the deadline that he was going to forgo college and try to get drafted by the Browns. He then delayed sending in his paperwork past the April 15th deadline to become eligible for the draft. Everyone threatened to sue (somehow the Oilers got involved). I think Kosar held a trump card though. He could cancel or bomb the summer class and he would not be eligible according to the current NFL criteria. he was not officially declared eligible until he passed that class and graduated.


Due to the controversy, on April 12, commissioner Pete Rozelle extended the April 15 eligibility deadline for Kosar alone (who had not officially filed the paperwork for draft eligibility) and called a hearing that would take place on April 16. The four teams (Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston and Minnesota) involved in the two trades presented their case at the hearing.

On April 23, Rozelle announced that he would leave the decision up to Kosar, but permitted Minnesota to persuade Kosar to enter the regular draft with the condition that they could not negotiate a potential contract with him. This led to an April 25 news conference where Kosar announced that he wanted to go home to Ohio as a member of the Cleveland Browns and that he would forgo the regular NFL Draft and make himself eligible for the supplemental draft. On May 10, Kosar officially announced his intentions for the supplemental draft in a letter to the commissioner. On June 25, Kosar became officially eligible for the supplemental draft when he took his exam finals and the university notified the NFL front office that he had graduated. On July 3, 1985, the Browns selected Kosar and signed him to a five-year contract that same day.

[Rastak]

PB, I do recall the controversy.

[hoosier]

TT should have spent his 7th round draft pick on the guy...At the very least he guarantees that Collins doesn't go to a competitor.

[mraynrand]

TT should have spent his 7th round draft pick on the guy...At the very least he guarantees that Collins doesn't go to a competitor.

he traded it

[Rastak]

TT should have spent his 7th round draft pick on the guy...At the very least he guarantees that Collins doesn't go to a competitor.


That actually makes alot of sense.....didn't think of that myself...:-)

[Carolina_Packer]

I thought I read that Collins and his agent said they would refuse to sign with any team that drafted him after the 3rd round. I realize he signed as a UDFA, but if you're a talent like Collins who was in a unique situation, you'd rather go undrafted at a certain point and negotiate as a UDFA, realizing that you're going to get a more lucrative deal than a typical UDFA.

[Rastak]

I thought I read that Collins and his agent said they would refuse to sign with any team that drafted him after the 3rd round. I realize he signed as a UDFA, but if you're a talent like Collins who was in a unique situation, you'd rather go undrafted at a certain point and negotiate as a UDFA, realizing that you're going to get a more lucrative deal than a typical UDFA.

But as Hoosier pointed out, might be worth a 7th to keep him off a playoff contender even if he sits.

[mraynrand]

You knew someone would take a chance on L'OL. Question is whether he blows up in the N'FL.

[mraynrand]

I thought I read that Collins and his agent said they would refuse to sign with any team that drafted him after the 3rd round. I realize he signed as a UDFA, but if you're a talent like Collins who was in a unique situation, you'd rather go undrafted at a certain point and negotiate as a UDFA, realizing that you're going to get a more lucrative deal than a typical UDFA.

I don't keep track of all the contract rules, but the FA route (I think) allows him to get out of that deal sooner, no? So he plays well for a couple of years and then can get a big fat contract sooner than if he were drafted.

[red]

I don't keep track of all the contract rules, but the FA route (I think) allows him to get out of that deal sooner, no? So he plays well for a couple of years and then can get a big fat contract sooner than if he were drafted.

yup, the undrafted guys get 3 year deals, players drafted in rounds 2-7 are on 4 year deals

so he will get big money a year earlier, if he pans out

[Guiness]

yup, the undrafted guys get 3 year deals, players drafted in rounds 2-7 are on 4 year deals

so he will get big money a year earlier, if he pans out

Yes, that's one of the perks - and I read that even if they make him play out the three years, then throw a 1st or 2nd round tender on him for his RFA deal, he makes out better than all but the first and top half of the 2nd round draftees.

[gbgary]

Stephen Jones (son of Jerrah) is really draining the fun out of the Boys.

yup. comedy relief will be hard to come by around here.

[gbgary]

cowboys of the past let questionable character guys slide after the michael irvin cowboys faded away. nearly 20 years later they're picking them up instead.

[pbmax]

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/15/lael-collins-nfl-draft-dallas-cowboys-murder-investigation/

Here is the story from the agent's side of La'el Collins' draft day maneuvering. From their effort to prevent a team taking a late round flyer on him (one team called about selecting him in the fifth:


The hardest part, Gilmore says, was selling Collins on the idea: “I’m explaining it to this young man and he’s having a hard time accepting it. We’re trying not to get drafted? He had to have a lot of trust in us.”

They show him salary charts and he agrees; it’s worth the risk.

The media, including this reporter, openly question the competence of Collins’ agents. Even a rival agent reaches out to La’el in an apparent attempt to poach him from his seemingly befuddled representatives.

and on the salary calculation involved trying to determine the best course of action:


“I’m thinking, That’s the worst thing for us,” McCartney says. “I ran the numbers. If a guy is drafted, he signs a four-year deal. If he gets a three-year undrafted-free-agent contract, plays well and often, then gets the first-round tender and the player participation pool bonus money, he could be paid better than the 33rd pick in the draft.”

[pbmax]

Also, the not going to sign if he is drafted in Rounds 4-7? It was a bluff.


“We can put it on the record now: We were never going back in the draft,” Smith says of waiting for the 2016 draft. “If someone had drafted him, we would’ve had a long, long discussion about it, but at the end of the day you can’t go back in the draft. He could get injured, gain weight, or 10 great tackles could come out. Too many risks.”

[Guiness]

It comes down to this: logistics be dammed, one way or another, the Cowboys got an extra 1st round pick. That's a heck of a competitive advantage. Goodell knew someone was going to get this guy for free, and should've done something about it (read: supplementary draft!!!)

[Rastak]

It comes down to this: logistics be dammed, one way or another, the Cowboys got an extra 1st round pick. That's a heck of a competitive advantage. Goodell knew someone was going to get this guy for free, and should've done something about it (read: supplementary draft!!!)

It's hard to argue against you given he breaks every other CBA rule.

[Patler]

It comes down to this: logistics be dammed, one way or another, the Cowboys got an extra 1st round pick. That's a heck of a competitive advantage. Goodell knew someone was going to get this guy for free, and should've done something about it (read: supplementary draft!!!)

I don't see this as an issue at all. Any team could have used a low round draft pick to secure his rights if they wanted. Player have issued threats for as long as I can remember. Only a very few ever followed through on them, and if he did, so what? A 6th or 7th round pick is not a lot to "waste".

[vince]

I don't see this as an issue at all. Any team could have used a low round draft pick to secure his rights if they wanted. Player have issued threats for as long as I can remember. Only a very few ever followed through on them, and if he did, so what? A 6th or 7th round pick is not a lot to "waste".
Agree. Any team had the same opportunity to sign him post-draft as well. It's one thing to cheat the rules but in this case the Cowboys took advantage of a unique opportunity, completely within the rules, which all teams had.

We'll see how it works out. Obviously signing him as a free agent pretty much comes with little/no risk but it's not as if Collins is a sure-fire hall-of-famer. Notwithstanding the mystery surrounding his pregnant ex-girlfriend's death, there are questions about his effectiveness in pass pro to the extent many project him inside. His dedication and work ethic have also been questioned by his coaches at LSU.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--zqoQQY-x--/189uy3hqsqnvijpg.jpg

[Fritz]

That is a great sign. If TT trusts the coaches who put up such signs, I wonder if he simply crosses those names off his list of draft-eligible players?

[pbmax]

I think that sign is a function of the risks LSU takes when it recruits.

[Fritz]

Good point.