While Virginia is a “right to work state” (I hate that euphemism and it has nothing to do with “just cause”) and most traditional employee contracts allow for termination of service with nearly no need for cause in Virginia, the NFL is hardly a traditional employer.

First off, the boiler plate contract verbiage is agreed upon by the NFLPA and the Owners via the CBA. And there are probably pages upon pages of how cessation of services procedures need to occur. Most of the contracts that go above and beyond boiler plate are for the high free agent and well performing players, and this guy wasn’t one of them.

In any case, your conclusion was correct, he was an employee, if he walks out, he’s no longer an employee and the team doesn’t have to pay him (per CBA rules, obviously this happens enough that they have a list for people that go AWOL). Your logic at arriving at that conclusion is flawed in that it has nothing to do with VA employment laws.

Finally, yes, he is an adult and is able to make his own choices. He wasn’t obligated to tell anyone where he was going, but it was highly unprofessional and won’t make anyone go out on a ledge to help him find work in the future.

Even if this was true, not showing up for work for two weeks without contacting management would be just cause anywhere I’ve worked.

So he’s an interviewee, big deal. When you turn 14 and start looking for a job, try walking out in the middle of the interview and see how well that works for you. Plus he is, as you said, an “interviewee, not an employee,” and no one has ever needed cause not to hire someone. So the NFL is really kind of a lot like the real world (except for the part where everyone is a gigantic millionaire): Kentwan, Zaggs: better start getting used to it.

Wrong. Virginia (which is where the “company” is based) is a right to work state. You can be terminated here without penalty by any employer for any reason. Just like you can walk away from any job at any time without penalty. The only caveats there are if you can prove some sort of discrimination or criminal activity… but good luck with that. That’s the real world as far as the law is concerned.

First off, they get paid and are medically covered by the team and the nfl during camp, so they’re employes. (practice squad, ie not 53 man roster, are also employees. Second, if you’re deemed to not be good enough to play, that’s ‘just cause’. Balmier has the RIGHT to tell Washington nothing, but he clearly has the OBLIGATION to tell them why he left.

So it’s not a real job they have? Are they getting paid in monopoly money and getting make believe benefits?

That and he just isn’t a NFL caliber player

I’d like to see how that stunt works for you and your employer. Welcome to the real world. haha”

Unless he made the opening 53 he’s not an actual employee. Rather he is an interviewee. Also in the real world you need cause to fire someone and it can be appealed. So the NFL is not the real world.

Just, wow.

I’d like to see how that stunt works for you and your employer. Welcome to the real world. haha