APLast week, Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson was hospitalized with viral pneumonia. A league source tells PFT that the Eagles now plan to place Patterson on the non-football injury/illness list for the balance of the season.
Per the source, the Eagles also plan to exercise their discretion to reduce Patterson’s pay, not completely but partially.
The move is expected to cause hard feelings, especially since it’s entirely possible that Patterson initially got sick because of practicing or playing in the elements. Moreover, the money that will be saved (roughly $150,000, we’re told) could do far more damage to the team’s relationship with Patterson — or to the reputation of the front office within the locker room.
As the Eagles wrap up a difficult season and prepare for what all appearances will be a new era, it’s not a good look.
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That is really weak and disrespectful to the players still there as well.
If Chuck Pagano was head coach in Philly, they would dock his pay too
Not like he’s going to get a huge deal or anything anyway. The Eagles were awesome to keep him through all this. I doubt there’s many hard feelings over 150k. Most teams wouldn’t let a brain surgery guy play at all.
This franchise has lost all its credibility.
As an Eagles fan, this is embarrassing. Add it to the list of mistakes made for this season.
And this is a team that’s already 30 million under the cap this year while continually cutting payroll (see Babin, Jason)
What is going on with this franchise?
Reminds me when the Vikes docked Troy “Catch Everything” Williamson one game check for attending his Grandmother’s Funeral…only to rescind once the PR nightmare ensued…
That really isn’t cool…
Remember stories like this when players hold out for more money even though they are under contract.
That sucks…just because it’s a non-physical injury from practicing or playing, they’re trying to withhold 150k? Not sure if it can be proven, but praticing and playing in the cold does take its toll on people.
The wheels have fallen off for sure now.
“…especially since it’s entirely possible that Patterson initially got sick because of practicing or playing in the elements. ”
Are we in the 18th century? Viral infections are caused by viruses, not from being out in the cold.
that is not the right thing to do at all,mike has fought back from brain surgery to play this year
The Eagles are being penny-wise and dollar-foolish. They need to worry about the hundred million dollar contracts with failed talent, not $150K for a team member with pneumonia…
Is Andy Reid trying to poison the team on his way out of town? It’s not like the team has salary cap issues.
I love how many people still think that you can get sick simply by being out in the cold.
…. Sigh……
As a lifelong Eagles fan and season ticket holder, I really hope that this posting is inaccurate. If it is true, it’s just another embarrassment that we Eagles fans are having to endure. Seriously, you’re going to save $150k, but don’t you think any prospective free agents will be considering this & the player/management relationship when they look at Philly as a prospective team to sign with? This is just bad business 101, which sort of explains where we are today as a franchise.
Wow. In a year when they are getting crushed by the fans and media, they do something like this. Sounds like Joe Banner is calling the shots again.
Where’s their media director? Oh wait, they fired him.
really? jeff lurie – do you need a visit from three ghosts past present and future??????????????
Talk about setting themselves up for failure on the free agent market!
1) People are correct that a virus and cold weather are two very different things. However, many studies suggest that cold/wet weather reduces a body’s ability to defend itself against the viruses you may independently come across. If you stick your workers outside in cold and rainy conditions, don’t be surprised if some of them are legitimately sick as a result.
2) The Eagles are very close to becoming the Bills and having to overpay for free agent talent.
This reminds me of my former company which got on employees for wasting too much paper, cut the coffee and tea. Yet the company still had 4 corporate jets and the CEO had an annual salary of over 15 million with a huge (and useless) board of directors.
This story will come back to bite them when they’re playing in the Super Bowl….oh. Nevermind.
maybe Nnamdi has pneumonia too? Better check.
Could not agree with the above comment. If this was a player holding out while under contract, the comments would be a lot different. If I miss work to to injury, or surgery, I don’t get paid..
In the words of teh great Ali G
“RESPECT !!!!”
Combine this with the other cost cutting and firing they’ve done, being under the cap by a large margin – it’s almost like they’re trying to make the team more attractive to a buyer.
Keep Reid around to finish the dumpster fire so you also have a pretty good draft pick. Things are so bad you also don’t get any negative PR from firing “THE” coach that team has had.
Under cap, purging staff, high draft pick, low expectations due to this year’s events – new guy gets to bring in his own guys and has cap space to build the team the way he likes – immediately.
Just what it looks like to me.
“The elements” don’t cause people to get sick, viruses do (especially when diagnosed with viral pneumonia). Viruses do not live outside in the elements, but passed among people in close quarters, such as when confined in heated spaces to avoid being out in the elements.
As is standard practice throughout the league,
a 50 percent pay cut accompanies the move from the 53-man roster to the NFI list.
The pay cut means for the last two weeks of the season, Patterson’s weekly salary will be $61,765 instead of $123,529.
He earned the $61,765 the first nine weeks of the season while he was on NFI, then earned full salary the last six weeks, so his final 2012 base salary will be $1,420,586.
this is standard everywhere . . not just the Eagles.
There still may be a settlement.
The cold weather/rain weakens your whole body allowing infections and. viruses to take hold easier. To the medical genius from the 21st century I’m pretty sure a place like a lockeroom no matter how sanitary it is is a good place to pick up infections, like the nasty staph infections that plagued the Browns one year.
That’s as embarrasing as anything that has happened this yr
This must be a miss print. All the troubles The Birds have and Laurie needs 150 K because he can’t afford his divorce?