Coming to you from Canton, Ohio, where I'm celebrating the induction of my former client Adam Vinatieri into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I represented Adam when he was an undrafted kicker out of South Dakota State in the late 1990s. He came a long way. And he was "this close" to becoming a Green Bay Packer — I tell that story in Smarter About Sports, now available in print and on Kindle.
A big week in football. The hold-ins worked. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs both got top-of-market running back deals — around $22 million per year — after staging hold-ins at training camp. I called it last week. But the headline number isn't the real number, and I want to explain why. Meanwhile, wide receivers Chris Olave and Zay Flowers both signed for over $30 million per year. I think anyone in football would rather have those running backs. And yet.
On the Tony Romo situation: CBS suspended him indefinitely after his OWI arrest, named JJ Watt as his replacement, and is sitting on a $72 million contract. My read — this is CBS's opening offer, not their final position. If they invoke the morals clause over a first-offense civil infraction, they're going there for reasons that go well beyond one incident on a Wisconsin road.
Also: the University of Akron is letting a fan script their opening drive. Over 13 million people saw that tweet in 24 hours. I love this.
This week's Sunday 7:
The Dodgers and Skubal — of course they did
Tony Romo, CBS, and a $72 million morals clause question
Robinson, Gibbs, and what the hold-in actually got them
The Akron promotion I can't stop thinking about
The new MLS commissioner — and what a private equity background means for the league
Tweet of the Week
Quote that I Wish I Said
Settle in — and if you're watching the Hall of Fame ceremonies this weekend, keep an eye out for me.
📘 Smarter About Sports is out now in print and on Kindle. An Amazon review would mean a great deal. smarteraboutsports.com
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