Classless

[b bulldog]

The Minnesota Vikings have fined Troy Williamson $25,588 because he missed three practices last week and Sunday's game. The reason why he missed was to attend his Grandmothers funeral. Coach brad Childress says that this fine is out of his control and it is a buisness thing.

[PackerTimer]

This was on the local sports here in the Twin Cities a couple of nights ago already. At the time I remember thinking that it would really look bad for the Vikes in a few days. Now its the main story on ESPNS NFL section and it just looks bad.

The reasoning behind the decision is classisc. It was a business decision. Whoever is making their business decisions should be fired. This is a terrible business decision. As an NFL team, player relations are extremely important and this is most definetelty not the way to deal with your players or any employee for that matter.

[Rastak]

Very classless.

[Lurker64]

I think the odds of Williamson staying with the Vikes after his rookie contract is up are getting worse and worse.

[gbpackfan]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.

[Rastak]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.


They don't have their offices at the Metrodome, and this issue is pretty much done. In my opinion they should have paid him even though he left the team to go home. Stupid decision in my opinion.

[Bretsky]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.


They don't have their offices at the Metrodome, and this issue is pretty much done. In my opinion they should have paid him even though he left the team to go home. Stupid decision in my opinion.


yup

[oregonpackfan]

This is a very callous business decision. :x

[Maxie the Taxi]

The Minnesota Vikings have fined Troy Williamson $25,588 because he missed three practices last week and Sunday's game. The reason why he missed was to attend his Grandmothers funeral. Coach brad Childress says that this fine is out of his control and it is a buisness thing.

It must have been a business decision. They figured the fine out to the last dollar! A truly caring organization would have rounded the fine down to $25,000.

[gbgary]

maybe they needed the 25k more than he did.

[gbpackfan]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.


They don't have their offices at the Metrodome, and this issue is pretty much done. In my opinion they should have paid him even though he left the team to go home. Stupid decision in my opinion.


Rastak,

You know what I meant, who cares where their offices are. And I don't think this is a dead issue. It certainly isn't for Troy and his family. They have got to be pissed.

[Rastak]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.


They don't have their offices at the Metrodome, and this issue is pretty much done. In my opinion they should have paid him even though he left the team to go home. Stupid decision in my opinion.


Rastak,

You know what I meant, who cares where their offices are. And I don't think this is a dead issue. It certainly isn't for Troy and his family. They have got to be pissed.


You meant to throw an insult and it missed the mark. If I said Lamblow field you would have corrected me. :) I worked blue collar jobs years ago and those guys didn't care either. If the union didn't negotiate it you didn't get paid for shit. No work, no pay. Period. No exceptions.

BUT, I agree it's a shitty deal and I wouldn't have handled it that way were I in charge.

[gbpackfan]

Guess I was right Ras. Oh, it hurts to be so good.

POSTED 10:04 p.m. EST, November 9, 2007

MINNESOTA MUTINY BREWING?

The decision of the Minnesota Vikings to dock receiver Troy Williamson a game check for missing the Week Nine contest against the Chargers due to the death of his grandmother apparently is having some unintended consequences for coach Brad Childress.

The move, as we hear it, is pushing some veteran players -- and some members of the coaching staff -- toward a revolt against Childress.

Even before the widely-criticized decision to withhold $25,000 and change from Williamson, there were strong signs of discontent. Presiding over a struggling offense and meddling (as we're told) with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's work has made Childress a target for quiet (to date) hostility.

The thinking is that the Williamson debacle could create major problems for Childress, unless the decision to take Williamson's game check is quickly reversed.

And we've got a feeling that, if this controversy continues to grow, owner Zygi Wilf might soon feel compelled to make a change, regardless of whether the Vikings run the table (highly unlikely) or rookie running back Adrian Peterson breaks the single-season rushing record (surprisingly possible). Family surely is important to Mr. Wilf, as evidenced by the presence of several folks with that same name at the top of the operation.

Besides, at a time when Wilf is trying desperately to find a way to finagle a new stadium for the Vikings, the P.R. fallout from a family-unfriendly personnel decision could make a steep climb even more treacherous.

So stay tuned. Our guess is that Childress, in a sheer act of self-preservation, will soon decide to give Williamson his game check. And it's entirely possible that Williams would politely tell Childress to stick the check up his own personal ATM.

Beyond 2007, we simply can't see these two men working for the same team. Though it's easy to assume that Williamson will be gone, we're not ready to rule out a termination of Childress.

[gbpackfan]

The Vikings organization is getting killed in the media. Money talks in this league but potential free agents are def. paying attention. They have some damage control to do up in the H-dump.


They don't have their offices at the Metrodome, and this issue is pretty much done. In my opinion they should have paid him even though he left the team to go home. Stupid decision in my opinion.


Rastak,

You know what I meant, who cares where their offices are. And I don't think this is a dead issue. It certainly isn't for Troy and his family. They have got to be pissed.


You meant to throw an insult and it missed the mark. If I said Lamblow field you would have corrected me. :) I worked blue collar jobs years ago and those guys didn't care either. If the union didn't negotiate it you didn't get paid for shit. No work, no pay. Period. No exceptions.

BUT, I agree it's a shitty deal and I wouldn't have handled it that way were I in charge.

Why would I have corrected you? Lamblow field is where their offices are. :P AND when you say Lamblow, you mean the #1 field in the NFL, right? (See SI for more). HA HA HA!!!

[RashanGary]

Coach brad Childress says that this fine is out of his control and it is a buisness thing.

This is the worst part. If you are going to make a decision like this, stand by it. Dont' be a coward and say you had no choice.

[Scott Campbell]

And I don't think this is a dead issue.



Uhhhh......interesting choice of words.

[Rastak]

Guess I was right Ras. Oh, it hurts to be so good.

POSTED 10:04 p.m. EST, November 9, 2007

MINNESOTA MUTINY BREWING?

The decision of the Minnesota Vikings to dock receiver Troy Williamson a game check for missing the Week Nine contest against the Chargers due to the death of his grandmother apparently is having some unintended consequences for coach Brad Childress.

The move, as we hear it, is pushing some veteran players -- and some members of the coaching staff -- toward a revolt against Childress.

Even before the widely-criticized decision to withhold $25,000 and change from Williamson, there were strong signs of discontent. Presiding over a struggling offense and meddling (as we're told) with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's work has made Childress a target for quiet (to date) hostility.

The thinking is that the Williamson debacle could create major problems for Childress, unless the decision to take Williamson's game check is quickly reversed.

And we've got a feeling that, if this controversy continues to grow, owner Zygi Wilf might soon feel compelled to make a change, regardless of whether the Vikings run the table (highly unlikely) or rookie running back Adrian Peterson breaks the single-season rushing record (surprisingly possible). Family surely is important to Mr. Wilf, as evidenced by the presence of several folks with that same name at the top of the operation.

Besides, at a time when Wilf is trying desperately to find a way to finagle a new stadium for the Vikings, the P.R. fallout from a family-unfriendly personnel decision could make a steep climb even more treacherous.

So stay tuned. Our guess is that Childress, in a sheer act of self-preservation, will soon decide to give Williamson his game check. And it's entirely possible that Williams would politely tell Childress to stick the check up his own personal ATM.

Beyond 2007, we simply can't see these two men working for the same team. Though it's easy to assume that Williamson will be gone, we're not ready to rule out a termination of Childress.


Well, I guess you've just laid out all the evidence there. Thanks for posting all these facts for me.

Hey, I love PFT.com but if he says some negative shit on the Packers and I post it here as fact, how would you act my inconsistent friend?

I can say with all honesty (and correct me Harv) that I don't post PFT.com and go Ha Ha.


See you Sunday pal.....

:wink:

[esoxx]

I only hope this implosion will not result in a coaching change. Childress needs to stay for the good of all Packer fans.
If they had a good coach and QB they'd be scary as hell.

[Rastak]

Coach brad Childress says that this fine is out of his control and it is a buisness thing.

This is the worst part. If you are going to make a decision like this, stand by it. Dont' be a coward and say you had no choice.


You sound like you know who made the call.....who was it?

[Cheesehead Craig]

I only hope this implosion will not result in a coaching change. Childress needs to stay for the good of all Packer fans.
If they had a good coach and QB they'd be scary as hell.
Agree with that. The Vikes do have some issues to work out, but the way Peterson is playing, that may by itself do more than any move by the front office.

[Scott Campbell]

Childress and Peterson sort of cancel eachother out.

[gbpackfan]

Guess I was right Ras. Oh, it hurts to be so good.

POSTED 10:04 p.m. EST, November 9, 2007

MINNESOTA MUTINY BREWING?

The decision of the Minnesota Vikings to dock receiver Troy Williamson a game check for missing the Week Nine contest against the Chargers due to the death of his grandmother apparently is having some unintended consequences for coach Brad Childress.

The move, as we hear it, is pushing some veteran players -- and some members of the coaching staff -- toward a revolt against Childress.

Even before the widely-criticized decision to withhold $25,000 and change from Williamson, there were strong signs of discontent. Presiding over a struggling offense and meddling (as we're told) with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's work has made Childress a target for quiet (to date) hostility.

The thinking is that the Williamson debacle could create major problems for Childress, unless the decision to take Williamson's game check is quickly reversed.

And we've got a feeling that, if this controversy continues to grow, owner Zygi Wilf might soon feel compelled to make a change, regardless of whether the Vikings run the table (highly unlikely) or rookie running back Adrian Peterson breaks the single-season rushing record (surprisingly possible). Family surely is important to Mr. Wilf, as evidenced by the presence of several folks with that same name at the top of the operation.

Besides, at a time when Wilf is trying desperately to find a way to finagle a new stadium for the Vikings, the P.R. fallout from a family-unfriendly personnel decision could make a steep climb even more treacherous.

So stay tuned. Our guess is that Childress, in a sheer act of self-preservation, will soon decide to give Williamson his game check. And it's entirely possible that Williams would politely tell Childress to stick the check up his own personal ATM.

Beyond 2007, we simply can't see these two men working for the same team. Though it's easy to assume that Williamson will be gone, we're not ready to rule out a termination of Childress.


Well, I guess you've just laid out all the evidence there. Thanks for posting all these facts for me.

Hey, I love PFT.com but if he says some negative shit on the Packers and I post it here as fact, how would you act my inconsistent friend?

I can say with all honesty (and correct me Harv) that I don't post PFT.com and go Ha Ha.


See you Sunday pal.....

:wink:


Inconsistent? Huh. When did I slam you for posting profootballtalk.com articles? That would be inconsistent. You sound overly sensitive about the issue. I don't know why. Probably because you know your team did wrong. And yes, I do acknowledge that you have stated that it was a bad move by the Queens.

To be honest with you, I was kidding around with you. But your sounding a little pricky tonight so I'll leave it be.

Enjoy the game, pal.......

[Rastak]

Guess I was right Ras. Oh, it hurts to be so good.

POSTED 10:04 p.m. EST, November 9, 2007

MINNESOTA MUTINY BREWING?

The decision of the Minnesota Vikings to dock receiver Troy Williamson a game check for missing the Week Nine contest against the Chargers due to the death of his grandmother apparently is having some unintended consequences for coach Brad Childress.

The move, as we hear it, is pushing some veteran players -- and some members of the coaching staff -- toward a revolt against Childress.

Even before the widely-criticized decision to withhold $25,000 and change from Williamson, there were strong signs of discontent. Presiding over a struggling offense and meddling (as we're told) with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's work has made Childress a target for quiet (to date) hostility.

The thinking is that the Williamson debacle could create major problems for Childress, unless the decision to take Williamson's game check is quickly reversed.

And we've got a feeling that, if this controversy continues to grow, owner Zygi Wilf might soon feel compelled to make a change, regardless of whether the Vikings run the table (highly unlikely) or rookie running back Adrian Peterson breaks the single-season rushing record (surprisingly possible). Family surely is important to Mr. Wilf, as evidenced by the presence of several folks with that same name at the top of the operation.

Besides, at a time when Wilf is trying desperately to find a way to finagle a new stadium for the Vikings, the P.R. fallout from a family-unfriendly personnel decision could make a steep climb even more treacherous.

So stay tuned. Our guess is that Childress, in a sheer act of self-preservation, will soon decide to give Williamson his game check. And it's entirely possible that Williams would politely tell Childress to stick the check up his own personal ATM.

Beyond 2007, we simply can't see these two men working for the same team. Though it's easy to assume that Williamson will be gone, we're not ready to rule out a termination of Childress.


Well, I guess you've just laid out all the evidence there. Thanks for posting all these facts for me.

Hey, I love PFT.com but if he says some negative shit on the Packers and I post it here as fact, how would you act my inconsistent friend?

I can say with all honesty (and correct me Harv) that I don't post PFT.com and go Ha Ha.


See you Sunday pal.....

:wink:


Inconsistent? Huh. When did I slam you for posting profootballtalk.com articles? That would be inconsistent. You sound overly sensitive about the issue. I don't know why. Probably because you know your team did wrong. And yes, I do acknowledge that you have stated that it was a bad move by the Queens.

To be honest with you, I was kidding around with you. But your sounding a little pricky tonight so I'll leave it be.

Enjoy the game, pal.......



Sorry, long week. I don't post them and say "here are all the facts" as you seemed to be implying. Actually. I like the site alot and everyone knows that.


I should lighten up. I should have seen you were just screwing around. Sorry dude, my bad......


You going to the game Sunday? I expect a pretty good game one or another.

[RashanGary]

You sound like you know who made the call.....who was it?

It sounded like he had a policy and he was sticking by it in spite of the dead grandmother who raised Williamson.

[RashanGary]

Hahaha, you were a friendly Viking fan while the Packers struggled. Suddenly you're a little tense. Jealous?

[Rastak]

Hahaha, you were a friendly Viking fan while the Packers struggled. Suddenly you're a little tense. Jealous?


Tense? You gotta be kidding. Actually I'm a friendly Viking fan who had one too many beers last night, truth be told.

[Spaulding]

Rastak, that bar might not be Gabe's could it?? :)

[Rastak]

Rastak, that bar might not be Gabe's could it?? :)


It's close by here but no, sadly it was Red Hook ESB in my basement.

[MadtownPacker]

Hahaha, you were a friendly Viking fan while the Packers struggled. Suddenly you're a little tense. Jealous?Oh he better be tense cuz I am. This week he is the enemy more so then any other time. I hope the Packers stomp and crushed the vikings like if they where trying to make wine in a tub full of grapes! I hope Barnett & AJ are helping each other get up off of peterson all game long.

Then we can play nice again until next season. :D

[Spaulding]

Rastak, that bar might not be Gabe's could it?? :)


It's close by here but no, sadly it was Red Hook ESB in my basement.

Rastak, if you haven't tried Red Hooks "Late Harvest Autumn Ale" I highly recommend it.

This has got me thinking about a post for beer.

[Rastak]

Rastak, that bar might not be Gabe's could it?? :)


It's close by here but no, sadly it was Red Hook ESB in my basement.

Rastak, if you haven't tried Red Hooks "Late Harvest Autumn Ale" I highly recommend it.

This has got me thinking about a post for beer.

I've had it, and it is very good. I think Old Chicago had it on tap too.

[MadtownPacker]

Please, save the nice talk crap. You want the Packers to lose badly and you know it!! :duel:

[Rastak]

Please, save the nice talk crap. You want the Packers to lose badly and you know it!! :duel:

Are you kidding, you bet I do! I'm pretty sure if the Vikings do pull out a win it won't be a one sided asskicking.

[MJZiggy]

I'm thinking if the Packers do, it will be... :twisted:

[Rastak]

Here's a good post from Rube Chat forum on the Williamson thing....



If Troy Williamson ends up being the reason that Brad Childress is pushed out of Minnesota, NOBODY can ever call Williamson a useless bust ever again. In fact, he should be seen as a hero if it means getting Chilly out of Minnesota. That contribution is worth more than any touchdown catch he could have made on the field.



Pretty funny.

[gbpackfan]

Rastak,

Yes, I am going to the game. It should be a good one. I have no doubt that the Vikes are going to give 110%. And if I came accross as a donkey, sorry. Didn't mean it.

[Rastak]

Rastak,

Yes, I am going to the game. It should be a good one. I have no doubt that the Vikes are going to give 110%. And if I came accross as a donkey, sorry. Didn't mean it.

Just a little, then I did you one better and became a complete jackass.

Anyway, I agree it should be a good game. It seems Viking-Packer games always are close.

[Rastak]

Back on topic, it looks like they reversed their decision after the players indicated they were acting like dicks.....





Vikings will pay Williamson
November 10th, 2007 – 12:04 PM by Kevin Seifert The Vikings will in fact pay WR Troy Williamson his game check for the No. 4 game against San Diego, reversing an earlier decision to withhold it after he missed the game to plan his grandmother’s funeral.

Coach Brad Childress confirmed the decision in an interview this afternoon. The impetus, Childress said, came from a meeting of his veteran player council Friday.

“It’s important to convey that this was never a penalty,” Childress said. ”I just want to emphasize that I’m grateful to have a great leadership group and great owners in the Wilf family. We had an open and candid discussion with our leadership group and spoke at length about it.”

Childress added: “In the end, we wanted to get this thing right. It’s more important to get it right than to be right.”

Williamson’s base salary this season is $435,000, meaning he stood to lose $25,588.24 had the Vikings not paid him.

[esoxx]

Damage is already done.

[Fosco33]

While I generally disagree with the decision - I wonder why we're all quick to jump on management's back on this one...

I make salary - but have to take personal time (paid) to be away for personal reasons. Do I go to my boss or HR and complain? Nope. Do our prospective new hires not come to my firm because of that policy? Nope

What do other teams do in similar situations?

[MJZiggy]

The fact is, though that with private companies you have the personal time to take. If the person who raised you dies, you can go home to deal with it. What did the Packers do when Irv Favre died? I've never heard of a team doing this before, and I'm glad they reversed the call on this one.

[Rastak]

While I generally disagree with the decision - I wonder why we're all quick to jump on management's back on this one...

I make salary - but have to take personal time (paid) to be away for personal reasons. Do I go to my boss or HR and complain? Nope. Do our prospective new hires not come to my firm because of that policy? Nope

What do other teams do in similar situations?


Because in this industry they are trying to sell tickets, and it doesn't help their cause when they come off as a cold hearted bunch of jerks. Look, the Vikings had a right to say he has to play. In fact, they offered to fly him home for the game and then back after the game and he said no, he was staying home. I can see their point in docking him his weeks pay but it's extremely bad public relations and not a very nice thing to do.

[retailguy]

While I generally disagree with the decision - I wonder why we're all quick to jump on management's back on this one...

I make salary - but have to take personal time (paid) to be away for personal reasons. Do I go to my boss or HR and complain? Nope. Do our prospective new hires not come to my firm because of that policy? Nope

What do other teams do in similar situations?


Because in this industry they are trying to sell tickets, and it doesn't help their cause when they come off as a cold hearted bunch of jerks. Look, the Vikings had a right to say he has to play. In fact, they offered to fly him home for the game and then back after the game and he said no, he was staying home. I can see their point in docking him his weeks pay but it's extremely bad public relations and not a very nice thing to do.

Rastak, I'm glad someone finally put this thing out... Yeah, it was ticky tack to fine him and not worth the PR headache, but if I recall the funeral was early in the week. Flying in for the game, then flying back for a few days was more than a reasonable request on the part of the Vikings. After, all he's paid VERY WELL.

Remember, these guys only play 16 games a year, and have a significant amount of time off during the year. Everything has a cost. I have funeral leave from work. A week. If I don't show up at the end of that time, it's unpaid, and I work for a very large corporation with awesome benefits. I'd hate to think what would happen if I purposely didn't show up for year end close, when I could have.... Not a good career move. With a SALARY, I get paid to "do a job" not punch a clock. So does Troy.

The Vikings were not really out of line on this, but should have seen it was a "no win" PR battle. Quite honestly, Troy Williamson kicked their asses good. Maybe they've hired him for the wrong job? He'd make a pretty good PR guy... :wink:

[gbpackfan]

In the end, the Vikings did the right thing. Players will notice this. People make mistakes, you have to be willing to admit to them and fix them. How cliche of me.

[Rastak]

gbpackfan was right, the story lives....at least until tomorrow.....from ptf.com


WILLIAMSON WILL DONATE GAME CHECK

Vikings receiver Troy Williamson, who recently has become far better known for his involvement in a pay dispute with the team than for his performances on the field, has issued a statement regarding the decision of the Vikings to pay him for Week Nine despite the fact that he missed the game due to the death of his grandmother.

The statement was sent to various members of the media. Somehow, yours truly was on the original distribution list.

Here's what the statement, um, stated:

"Earlier today, coach Brad Childress informed me that the Vikings have decided to pay me my game check for the game I missed last weekend due to the untimely death of my grandmother. I wanted to release this statement to thank the thousands of supporters who spoke up for me on my family's behalf. We also want to thank them for their outpouring of emotion and support.

"This has been an extremely trying and difficult time for my family, and I hope that everyone's thoughts and prayers are with my brother Carlton for a quick and speedy recovery. 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. I wanted to thank my family, my friends, my teammates, the NFL Players Association, my agent David Canter, and all the Vikings fans for supporting me through this difficult time. In light of today’s events, my wife Charity and I have decided to donate that game check to a charitable foundation to be determined at a later date in the memory of my grandmother Celestine. I will not be speaking about this issue any further."

Williamson's brother, Carlton, was involved in an automobile accident several weeks ago, and remains in a coma. Another brother, Roy, was killed in a car accident when Troy was a boy.

Because the Vikings caved, the question of whether the CBA permits a team to dock a player for missing a game will be, for now, undecided. And, as one member of PFT Planet points out, the Vikings' decision to pay Williamson puts the other owners in a box moving forward. When a member of a player's extended family dies, there will be pressure on the team to give the guy one of his 16 actual annual work days off.

And not everyone supports Williamson on this point. As one reader said, "This is a guy who was paid a big signing bonus and has caught nine passes this year. He should be doing all he can to get better and earn his money."

Still, everyone grieves differently. Just ask Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who turned in a Monday night performance for the ages the day after his father died.

The best approach would be for the league and the NFLPA to come up with a clear, consistent approach for dealing with situations like this in the future. If nothing else, it will insulate teams from having to make tough decisions -- and it will prevent them from treating their most valued players differently than the ones they no longer regard as important to the long-term plans.

[gbpackfan]

Even I want it to go away now.

[4and12to12and4]

I agree with Rastak in that PFT should never even be quoted here, I don't like giving them ANY PR and they are a joke. I never go there to read anything, it's like reading "Star" Magazine. I think Arrigo is more accurate ... maybe.

[Rastak]

I agree with Rastak in that PFT should never even be quoted here, I don't like giving them ANY PR and they are a joke. I never go there to read anything, it's like reading "Star" Magazine. I think Arrigo is more accurate ... maybe.


Dude, you are misquoting me.... :o

I love the site, but they do speculate and when you post speculation like I did with the Packers NFL memo you can't say "Look, here are the facts!"

Anyway, to each his own. He has quite a bit of insight

[GBRulz]

Yes, I am going to the game. It should be a good one. I have no doubt that the Vikes are going to give 110%. And if I came accross as a donkey, sorry. Didn't mean it.

I was going to ask if you were going, gb. I didn't think you would because you were a GB ticket holder and this is a Milw game.

We're tailgating in the Sideline Sports bar lot if you are in the area...you'll see a cardboard cut out of Favre in the back of a black Nissan truck... that will be us :lol:

Went by the RV parking lot around 2 today...must have had at least 25 RV's out there already. Many with MN plates and Packer flags. I like seeing that :wink:

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's close by here but no, sadly it was Red Hook ESB in my basement.

I've been to their brewery in Seattle. I actually thought it was overrated after hearing people brag about it.

[Carolina_Packer]

I'm thinking if the Packers do, it will be... :twisted:

MJ with the solid prediction! 8-)