For players not under contract, ditching the team’s mandatory minicamp carries with it no consequence. For players under contract, there’s a price to be paid for skipping the three-day event.
Under the CBA, the 2017 fine schedule for missing the minicamp consists of a $13,400 fine for the first day, a $26,800 fine for the second day, and a $40,205 fine for the third day. It’s a total of $80,405 for missing all three days.
In comparison to the $40,00o-per-day fine for holding out of training camp, $80,405 for three days amounts to a bargain. And for players trying to leverage a new or improved contract, withholding services by not showing up for the mandatory camp represents one of the available tools for getting what the player wants.
But withholding services gets very expensive, quickly, under the CBA. It’s starts with $80,405 for the mandatory minicamp and then it becomes $40,000 per day — assuming the team insists on collecting if/when the player shows up. Often, the team quietly lets it slide.
For players like Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (who supposedly will be showing up for the mandatory minicamp but with him who knows?), ditching mandatory camp would send a strong to quite strong message. The question is whether he’s willing to pay $80,405 for the privilege of sending it.