Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

ESPN story

Thoughts on this? I say [censored] the Vikings and [censored] Brad Childress for "citing the cases of two players, Minnesota defensive tackle Pat Williams and Indianapolis wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who appeared in games shortly after the deaths of family members"

I dunno, stuff like this bothers me. Shouldn't he get some sort of bereavement pay? I may not understand the situation very well.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

In a business where PR appears to be very important this seems like a very silly move.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

I'm not reading the story, because I don't have time this morning. However, if what you say is true, this is absolutely ridiculous.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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I'm not reading the story, because I don't have time this morning. However, if what you say is true, this is absolutely ridiculous.

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One of the issues, I guess, is that the funeral was held on Monday, so Williamson flew out the day before and missed the game. He handled all the arrangements, and apparently was very close with his grandmother.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

If I owned the vikings, I wouldn't have such a policy.

However, if I was an outsider asked to evaluate the situation, I see it a little differently. If this was an established team policy (preferably written down somewhere) and there were no exceptions made in the past, then I woudn't think that Williamson was treated unfairly. He just found himself in an unfortunate situation.

So, if I was in charge of deciding his appeal, and my asumptions are true (established policy, no prior exceptions), then I would regretfully deny his appeal.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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If I owned the vikings, I wouldn't have such a policy.

However, if I was an outsider asked to evaluate the situation, I see it a little differently. If this was an established team policy (preferably written down somewhere) and there were no exceptions made in the past, then I woudn't think that Williamson was treated unfairly. He just found himself in an unfortunate situation.

So, if I was in charge of deciding his appeal, and my asumptions are true (established policy, no prior exceptions), then I would regretfully deny his appeal.

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Bout covers it. Dumb policy, but it is policy. Really an all-around bad spot to be in.

Cody

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

He should be docked. I'd dock him as well.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

this is one area where athletes are held to much higher standards than almost anyone else. if my mother dies, almost anybody could take a week off...but b/c NFL players only "need" to work 16 times a year, they basically need to be there, hell or high water.

I can't imagine missing the birth of my child b/c of my job, but these guys might be expected to

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

If you were a team and didn't suck, I can see getting heated. Given the Vike's position, there's no incentive to win games right now.

Startinv Tavaris Jackson is a much greater detriment to the team than Troy Williamson missing a game, and I don't see Childress fining himself.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.


Edited to remove slur.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.

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there are plenty of situations where guys get paid for not playing. most of them injury related, but still.

Doc Rivers just left his coaching job for a couple days to attend his dad's funeral. should the Celtics not pay him b/c he missed practice and the Toronto game?

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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if my mother dies, almost anybody could take a week off

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If your taking a week off usually you are taking a weeks vacation time or you are not getting paid for that week.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.

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there are plenty of situations where guys get paid for not playing. most of them injury related, but still.

Doc Rivers just left his coaching job for a couple days to attend his dad's funeral. should the Celtics not pay him b/c he missed practice and the Toronto game?

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I think that not paying him for however much time he missed is pretty reasonable.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.

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there are plenty of situations where guys get paid for not playing. most of them injury related, but still.

Doc Rivers just left his coaching job for a couple days to attend his dad's funeral. should the Celtics not pay him b/c he missed practice and the Toronto game?

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I think that not paying him for however much time he missed is pretty reasonable.

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I think it's more reasonable to treat the guy as a human being and cut him some slack b/c his Dad died.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

This is the same franchise that had sex cruises.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.

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there are plenty of situations where guys get paid for not playing. most of them injury related, but still.

Doc Rivers just left his coaching job for a couple days to attend his dad's funeral. should the Celtics not pay him b/c he missed practice and the Toronto game?

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I think that not paying him for however much time he missed is pretty reasonable.

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I think it's more reasonable to treat the guy as a human being and cut him some slack b/c his Dad died.

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I guess I'd say that I wouldn't expect compensation in his position. I'd certainly appreciate the hell out of it, but I wouldn't find it unreasonable.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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if my mother dies, almost anybody could take a week off

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If your taking a week off usually you are taking a weeks vacation time or you are not getting paid for that week.

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Except that most businesses will give you vacation time as part of your contract with them. And if they don't have paid vacation, they don't assume that your work only occurs on 16 specific days per year, even if those days are the most visible and pressure-filled ones.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

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Based on his 2007 salary of $435,000, the action by the Vikings will cost the three-year veteran $25,588.

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there was also some bonus money he got, but this isn't Arod we're talking about

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

I find the idea that teams fine players for missing practices, in whole or in part, but also dock a full 1/16th pay for missing a game to be pretty inconsistent.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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if my mother dies, almost anybody could take a week off

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If your taking a week off usually you are taking a weeks vacation time or you are not getting paid for that week.

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Except that most businesses will give you vacation time as part of your contract with them. And if they don't have paid vacation, they don't assume that your work only occurs on 16 specific days per year, even if those days are the most visible and pressure-filled ones.

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The point is that you will be docked, either from your pay or from you vacation days (which are part of your compensation for working there), an NFL team doesn't have the same luxury since football players are hired to ply on those specific days, they can't come in and make up that time later.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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You are paid to play. He didn't play. Ergo he shouldn't be paid.

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there are plenty of situations where guys get paid for not playing. most of them injury related, but still.

Doc Rivers just left his coaching job for a couple days to attend his dad's funeral. should the Celtics not pay him b/c he missed practice and the Toronto game?

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I think that not paying him for however much time he missed is pretty reasonable.

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I think it's more reasonable to treat the guy as a human being and cut him some slack b/c his Dad died.

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I guess I'd say that I wouldn't expect compensation in his position. I'd certainly appreciate the hell out of it, but I wouldn't find it unreasonable.

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I think it comes down to how you treat employees. I'd say well run businesses have the sense of when rules should be bent to keep employees happy. I doubt the Vikings docking his pay will accomplish anything at all except make them $25k richer and will probably hurt the relationship with the player. this stuff matters, these guys aren't robots.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

Looks like the Vikings dropped the ball, something Troy is used to.
Meh B- imo someone should be able to create a better joke than that.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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I find the idea that teams fine players for missing practices, in whole or in part, but also dock a full 1/16th pay for missing a game to be pretty inconsistent.

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Yeah, this was part of my point. Maybe the game should be worth like 70% of 1/16 of a week or something. I don't really have a plan of my own.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

i am fairly certain that if i was a free agent and for whatever reason minnesota was one of my final choices, this silly fine would play a significant factor in my decision making process. i mean, if they're going to fine a player for missing a game because of the death of a relative who played a major role in raising the player, what message does that send? that they don't care about their players?

and why in the hell is brad childress the heavy in this? this seems the exact sort of situation that someone else in the vikings management should have made the announcement and childress could still be the good guy. as an nfl head coach, you need your players to go out there and throw their bodies on the line for you, yet here childress is not doing the same for williamson off the field.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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i am fairly certain that if i was a free agent and for whatever reason minnesota was one of my final choices, this silly fine would play a significant factor in my decision making process. i mean, if they're going to fine a player for missing a game because of the death of a relative who played a major role in raising the player, what message does that send? that they don't care about their players?

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And for only $25K! This has got to be a -EV play by Minnesota.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Shouldn't he get some sort of bereavement pay?

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Maybe his agent should've thought of that when working out the deals of his contract. It's just business.

I'd miss a game for a funeral. Care less if they docked my pay. In fact, I did do that when I was working at one time. I never got paid to go to a funeral.

b

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Looks like the Vikings dropped the ball, something Troy is used to.
Meh B- imo someone should be able to create a better joke than that.

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I would, but I'm on strike...

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Shouldn't he get some sort of bereavement pay?

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Maybe his agent should've thought of that when working out the deals of his contract. It's just business.

I'd miss a game for a funeral. Care less if they docked my pay. In fact, I did do that when I was working at one time. I never got paid to go to a funeral.

b

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Was it a close member of your family? I don't think this would be an issue if it was his aunt that he met twice.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

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Even if this was true (which it isn't), it's an awful argument.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

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Even if this was true (which it isn't), it's an awful argument.

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???
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The deal for the former South Carolina star is essentially for five years and could be worth up to $32 million total, including $13.3 million in guaranteed money.


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There isn't such a thing as a top 10 NFL first round pick who doesn't "make millions." At least not in well over a decade.

Anyway, he could have handled it better too. Obviously family is important but if you want to be in the NFL you have to make sacrifices. If being at the game was important to him he could have left from Wed-Sat, flown in for the game Sunday and the Flown out afterwards Sunday night and attended the Monday funeral.

And even if he doesn't want to do something like that, thats fine, but he shouldn't be complaining to the media about not receiving a measly game check for a game he skipped when he is already struggling to keep a roster spot.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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If being at the game was important to him he could have left from Wed-Sat, flown in for the game Sunday and the Flown out afterwards Sunday night and attended the Monday funeral.

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I doubt he could miss all that gameplanning and still play in the game.

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And even if he doesn't want to do something like that, thats fine, but he shouldn't be complaining to the media about not receiving a measly game check for a game he skipped when he is already struggling to keep a roster spot.

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I could be wrong, but I don't think he is complaining

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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I could be wrong, but I don't think he is complaining

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Article said he was appealing, but he doesn't seem to be making a big deal over it.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

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Who cares if the Vikings pay him. They make millions. They can afford it.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

In the brief time that Ziggy Wilf has owned the Vikings he has made a huge deal about getting rid of trouble makers and bringing in guys who are good people first and good football players/coaches second. This seems to go against all that.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Who cares if he was docked pay, he makes millions, he can afford it.

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Even if this was true (which it isn't), it's an awful argument.

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???

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I don't know exactly what "???" means, but 1) he isn't being paid millions by the Vikings and 2) I don't see how making X amount of money makes it any more OK to dock pay than if he made X-Y amount of money.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

Troy Williams salary is $435,000. The Vikings are going to get a ton of negative PR over $25,588.

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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If you were a team and didn't suck, I can see getting heated. Given the Vike's position, there's no incentive to win games right now.

Starting Tavaris Jackson is a much greater detriment to the team than Troy Williamson missing a game, and I don't see Childress fining himself.

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QFT

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

Whether the Vikings CAN get away with doing this or not has nothing to do with whether they SHOULD.
It's a classless move to treat your own player that way. It's horrible PR and makes them look really awful to potential free-agents.

They should want their players to feel like they are being treated with class. He hasn't just bothered this particular player or given their own team a bad name.
Think of all this guy's teammates who have talked about this amongst themselves a bit too I would guess. They all feel like their own team is a bunch of tight-wad pricks and many of them are probably angered enough about them docking a player's pay for this that they too end up thinking, "man, if I get the chance I wouldn't mind playing for a team that treats its players fairly."

Re: Troy Williamson docked paycheck to attend grandmother\'s funeral
 

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Troy Williams salary is $435,000. The Vikings are going to get a ton of negative PR over $25,588.

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QFT