Remember the Titan?

For years, faithful fans of the University of Maryland basketball program have sported shirts that said “Fuck Duke.” Little did they know that the Blue Devils lacrosse team would make that slogan a reality, but I digress.

While it is always fun to knock Duke down a level, they are not the focus of my column this week. No, this week my attention is focused squarely on the business side of the National Football League. Let me say for the record, when it comes to monetary discussions, I almost always side with teams over players. I’ve been following sports for too long to side with the players. LaVar Arrington says he would rather retire than play for another team one minute. The next, he’s volunteering to return $4.4 million to have the Washington Redskins release him at the start of free agency.

Players like Arrington have no loyalty … well, no team loyalty anyway. They remain loyal only to money. They’ll happily play for whichever team wants to write the biggest check. Don’t believe me?

Take wide receiver Javon Walker, who fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing at the highest level when the Green Bay Packers selected him out of Florida State with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Shortly thereafter, the wide receiver happily signed a five-year contract worth $7.485 million. I repeat, Walker signed the deal without a gun to his head.

Fast forward to 2004, when Walker finishes the season with 89 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. Naturally, because of that goddamned Rod Tidwell in the movie Jerry Maguire, as soon as the season ended Javon screamed “Show me the money!”

Taking a page from the Terrell Owens fanclub, Walker demanded that the Packers tear up the final two years of his rookie contract and give him a lucrative deal fitting of the superstar wideout he believed he was. This is where the players always lose me.

You see, if Walker was a complete and utter bust, he wouldn’t have had to give any of the money back. No, the Packers would have had to continue to pay him or release him. So if he isn’t obligated to return any money if he sucks, then why should a team in the Packers situation be forced to pay more when the player reaches a level they hoped he would all along? I mean, isn’t that why they drafted him and gave him the contract? This T.O. mindset of “outplaying” a contract is a joke. Now remember, at the start of the column I made a joke about Duke lacrosse players. But right after that I said I almost always side with teams over players. There are exceptions to the rule, the biggest of which is the way the Tennessee Titans are handling quarterback Steve McNair.

McNair, for those not familiar with his game, has been the face of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise since he was selected in the 1995 NFL draft. He’s done just about everything you could ever ask of a quarterback from Alcorn State. He’s been to the Pro Bowl (twice), been named league MVP (an honor he shared with Peyton Manning in 2003) and took his team to Super Bowl XXXIV (which the Titans lost to the Rams by one yard).

Throughout his 11-year career, McNair has earned respect from his peers for being able to play at a high level while hurt. And let’s face it, without McNair or running back Eddie George, the Titans would have given the Detroit Lions a run for their money as the worst team in the league over the last decade. He has been a model citizen who has done anything and everything they have asked of him and he’s never complained.

Well, he’s got a reason to complain now. On April 3, the Titans had a team trainer tell McNair that he could not work out on the team's property until they can reach a deal reworking his contract, which currently counts for $23.46 million for the 2006 season. Management didn't even have the guts to tell the McNair themselves.

You might see the $23.46 million and say – what does he expect? He knows he can’t make that much in a league with a salary cap. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

McNair agreed to a six-year extension with Tennessee for $47 million in June 2001, and he’s restructured that deal several times since then to aid the team whenever management needed salary cap relief. He’s pushed back money from year to year, and now that the team declined to pick up a $50 million option to extend his deal, this is the final year of his contract. That means he can’t push the payments back any more, so he’s stuck with the deal that he’s got. And when he tried to show up for work, he was essentially told to take a hike.

Think about that for a moment. They signed him to a deal, he showed up to work every day for the last 11 years, and now they sent him home because they don’t want to pay him the money they agreed to when he signed his last contract. He’s done anything and everything the Titans have asked of him, and now he’s not even allowed to work out with his teammates.

Besides the fact that they have breached McNair’s contract, the Titans are really opening themselves to a world of problems. If they’re willing to do this to the face of the franchise, then what will they do to the no-name linebacker? Or the veteran center? Obviously, no is safe in Tennessee. As a player you’re going to want guaranteed money up front, or you won’t even consider playing for the Titans.

Looking at the big picture though, I’m hoping that the league steps in and corrects the situation. Telling a player who is under contract that he is not allowed to show up for work because you’re afraid you may have to pay him the money he is owed under the contract you signed him is not legal under the collective bargaining agreement. This is a precedence that the NFL should not want to set.

And as for McNair, I hope he forces the team to release him so he can actually play the final leg of his storied career in a town where they might actually appreciate such a first-class person, and gifted athlete.

Brian Murphy wants to see you in his rearview mirror. Contact him at murf@the5holes.com.