AN INTERESTING VOICE FROM INDIA CHECKS IN. From Vineet of Hyderabad, India: "I am surprised that you have not criticized the Jets for asking Chad Pennington to take a pay cut. Did you not criticize Terrell Owens last summer when he demanded a pay hike (this was before he started the theatrics)? You had then said it was not right for a player to demand a new contract when he had already agreed to terms. Why does this not apply to teams? They signed a contract with Pennington, period! Was there a clause in it about pay cuts if he was repeatedly injured? If not, why not decry them for reneging on a contract? Moreover, if teams can do this, it is only fair that athletes be allowed to re-negotiate contracts whenever they want, too.'' Good points, Vineet. Here's the one difference: because, for the most part, contracts are not guaranteed in the NFL. Players can certainly do whatever they want, but renegotiating one year into a seven-year deal, especially with the hoops Philly had to jump through to get Owens, is absurd. And Pennington got $22 million for one pretty good (but injured) year and one washout year. Tough luck that he got hurt, but it's hard to cry for someone with that kind of a golden parachute. And what is wrong with a team, now with major questions about a guy's health, making his contract a show-me-first-then-get-paid deal? He can make most of his money back through incentives.
