The ongoing saga between Percy Harvin and the Minnesota Vikings appears to have another example of the mounting issues in the increasing troubled marriage.
According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, Harvin threatened to walk out on the Vikings prior to last season. The extension given to New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, Harvin’s college teammate at the University of Florida, reportedly didn’t sit well with Harvin. Both were just two years out of college and Hernandez was the one getting the new contract with the Patriots.
It was more than likely an empty threat from Harvin as he didn’t have any leverage to do so at the time. Hernandez signed his new contract with the Patriots during training camp in August. Harvin was already in the middle of training camp with the Vikings at that point. Had Harvin left the team then, the Vikings would have been able to issue a letter to Harvin giving him five days to return to the team. If he remained away from the team, the Vikings could have shut him down for the season. Doing so would have kept Harvin from earning an accrued season and kept him from reaching free agency for an additional season.
Once a player reports to camp, the player loses any leverage they have. It’s why players holdout and stay away during a contract dispute.
However, if accurate, it would further illustrate the rift between Harvin and the Vikings. Harvin also reportedly had a heated exchange with head coach Leslie Frazier this season. If the Vikings indeed attempt to sign Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace to a big money deal, it likely won’t sit very well with Harvin.
"[The Vikings are] in a tough spot,” a source told Cole. “If you don’t take some aggressive action, this could get really bad.”
Whether Harvin gets traded or remains in Minnesota, there is the potential for the situation to get even more volatile than it already has been.