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By Anthony De Franco  July 2, 2009, at 10:00 pm  Here is a really interesting story from PastaPadre:
One of the intriguing stories leading up to and through the release of UFC 2009 Undisputed was how the fighters were being forced into lifetime contracts. Now comes news that the UFC may be taking things even further by intimidating fighters who are not currently signed by them by making it known that they will never be accepted into the UFC should they sign on for EA Sports’ MMA. BloodyElbow has the info as pulled from forum sources.
Well, this is wrong on all fronts. EA is jumping into the game late after UFC 2009: Undisputed was incredibly successful when it was released in May 2009. Now, they have made an effort to snap up any unsigned UFC fighter that they can. We posted an article earlier that Tim Sylvia said that he and Randy Couture would appear in the game. Sylvia is a joke and will never see the UFC again. However, Couture is under contract, but never signed a video game deal because he was in a legal battle with Dana White and the UFC. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Couture signs with EA and stares down White? Would the UFC cut a potential hall of famer in Couture?
That being said, as usual, the UFC is bullying around the MMA fighters of the world because they can. In a sport where the athletes are trying to make cash anyway that they can, there are going to be some younger fighters that get screwed by this. They are going to try and cash in on their emerging popularity and kill themselves in the long run.
The EA Sports MMA roster is going to be made up of guys who aren’t welcome in the UFC like Sylvia, Nick Diaz, and Joe Riggs.
By Anthony De Franco July 2, 2009, at 7:00 pm Wow, this contract includes a ton of red tape, huh? From PFT:
We’ve obtained a copy of the UFL’s “Standard Player Contract.” It’s a 25-page document, a length that becomes even more impressive when considering that none of the terms are negotiable.
Among other things, the document (and the memo to players and agents that we obtained on Wednesday) contains an “NFL Exemption,” which contemplates that players will have an opportunity to return to the NFL after November 28, 2009, the completion of the UFL season.
The UFL continues to admit that they are nothing but a developmental type league. This bodes well for them. Believe me, the best thing that they can do is admit that they aren’t challenging for the crown. They have seen what happens to proud (XFL) when they try to challenge the throne. Now, they should try to put together a marketing campaign that revolves around “See the NFL stars of tomorrow, Today.”
I’m awesome. Somone hire me.
By Anthony De Franco July 2, 2009, at 4:13 pm Wow, the fact that anyone in any major sport is still being caught for steroids is amazing to me. Here’s the story from Rotoworld:
NFL suspended Jets OLB Calvin Pace four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
It’s a big blow to the Jets’ defense. Pace is New York’s top pass rusher, and early impressions of backup Vernon Gholston’s second offseason aren’t promising. Pace will be eligible to return in Week 5 against the Dolphins. Flexible coach Rex Ryan could adjust by using Bart Scott and Bryan Thomas outside with Jamaal Westerman and David Harris inside during Pace’s time off. It’s either that or Gholston is going to have to play a lot early in the season.
Pace later came out with a statement that was the basic athlete denial where he claims that he didn’t know what he took was illegal, like anyone believes that at this point in the game. There is a hotline that NFL players can call to find out if what they are going to take is on the banned substance list. I’m still wondering when an athlete is just going to say “Shit, you caught me.”
As for the Jets, this really puts them in a position where they are kinda screwed for the first four games. They play Houston, New England, Tennessee and New Orleans. Three of those first four games are against pretty damn good offenses. They now have to play uber-bust Vernon Gholston against all of those teams.
By Anthony De Franco July 2, 2009, at 1:52 pm Hey, look the Broncos said something publicly and then did something completely different in private. This is just shocking news! The Broncos never do things like this!
Can you tell that I’m being sarcastic? Anyway, here is the report from Rotoworld:
NFL insider Adam Schefter writes on his Twitter page that the Broncos are willing to listen to offers for Brandon Marshall.
The Broncos “won’t make them, but will take them,” Schefter says, adding that he believes the club would part with its top receiver for a first-round pick. Denver already traded its 2010 top pick to move up in the second round of this year’s draft for CB Alphonso Smith. Marshall is a holdout risk as he recovers from hip surgery, wants a new contract, and has demanded a trade.
This is a really interesting situation that is developing because there are still teams that would part with mid-round picks for the big playmaking wide receiver. Off the top of my head, I can think that the Jets are a team that really need the type of target that Marshall is. They went back and forth internally about signing Plaxico Burress and still might be interested in him. Now, there is a younger, faster maybe better receiver on the market that might be available for a 2nd and a 4th. Other teams that could be interested include the Bucs, and maybe on a real outside chance the Giants.
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