Maybin's 'Publicist' Explains That Contract Problems Are Crabtree's Fault

It was a surprise when the Bills drafted Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin 11th overall in the April draft (especially since Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters had been recently shipped to Philadelphia and there was a gaping hole along the offensive line). Less surprising, perhaps, is that, two weeks into training camp, Maybin still remains unsigned.

It happens every August: the draft's top 10-15 picks play hurry up and wait while their agents work through contract details, making sure that, say, the 11th selection doesn't get a bigger signing bonus than the player chosen just ahead of him. It becomes tedious and frustrating for fans and rookies, and it doesn't take long for the accusations to fly. Usually in the direction of a 20-something kid just out of college suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

That's what has happened to Maybin. It's gotten so annoying, in fact, that he threatened to stop tweeting because "of the ignorance and stupidity of some people on twitter." In general, I can't argue that point. And Maybin's friend and publicist (Really? Based on this, I do not think that word means what you think it means.) LaVar Arrington explains:

"This Crabtree kid is putting people in this predicament," Arrington told the Associated Press. "I just think people's hands are tied until this guy gets around to doing what he's going to do. ... "

"[Maybin] was in tears not being able to be out there Sunday," said Arrington, who watched the Bills' preseason game with Maybin on TV. "He's a good kid. Hopefully we get it done quickly."

Maybin's teammates-to-be quickly came to his defense via their Twitter machines. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell offered this: "@AaronMaybin58 u will ALWAYS face doubters/haters. Don't let them stop u. If u want to tweet or anything just do u. Haters everywhere we go". Safety Donte Whitner added: "To all Bills fan: please leave @aaronmaybin58 alone...he'll be in camp when his deal is complete and its part of the bizz...thanx."

And that's sometimes lost in the discussion. It appears that the players are being greedy, but, ultimately, it is a business. That won't magically improve the Bills' pass rush (the reason Maybin was drafted in the first place), and now that he's missed two weeks of camp, there's a good chance Maybin won't be a consistent contributor until 2010.

That brings us back to the public perception problem. It's hard for people who hump a regular 9-to-5 to comprehend how a guy set to make $15-$20 million in guaranteed dough won't immediately be on the field when he finally gets around to signing his contract.

Naturally, this is all Michael Crabtree's fault.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-12-2009 @ 12:42PM

Fargus said...

If this were true, then there wouldn't be a First round pick after Crabtree under contract yet. The best part of the story is when it says Maybin was in tears b/c he couldn't be out there. Sign your freaking contract and you can be out there. If we are using an athletes rationale though, This isn't Crabtrees fault, Its Al Davis's fault for not taking the best WR in the draft when he had the chance. And Im glad Arrington is being such a good mentor for the rook by blaming this on Crabtree....

8-12-2009 @ 1:22PM

claytor said...

I hate to say it, but in a roundabout way, it IS the rookies fault.

These guys were drafted....IN APRIL. Here we are halfway through August, and its the agents fault? Well....WHO hired the agent???

Look, i understand "fair market value" and all, but in this case, its horrendous. Namely these are UNPROVEN commodities. These guys havent played a down yet, no one even knows what theyre truly capable of, so yes, its hard to determine FAIR market value based on projections, predictions, possibilities. Most of the time, these guys flop, a lot of Super Bowl heroes and or star players emerge from the later rounds anyway, so the token first rounder should take whatever quality contract comes his way in the span of what, three plus months???, play it out, and THEN determine your TRUE fair market value.

Christ, i cant WAIT for a rookie salary cap.

8-12-2009 @ 3:49PM

Adam said...

I lol'd when I heard LaVar Arrington was someone's-- anyone's-- publicist. The dude can't even speak well for himself, so representing other people is not a good move.

Aside from that, I think the divide between picks is interesting. Brian Orakpo was one of the first early round picks to sign, and he did it way out of order from the rest. He wanted to come to camp, learn and play, and has gotten huge compliments from coaches and other players for having a veteran's mentality.

Then you have guys like Crabtree and Maybin who are missing valuable time and making themselves look bad to squeeze an extra million or two out. It's absolutely frustrating for those of us 9-5ers who would play in the NFL for free for the opportunity alone, so watching this is hard to swallow.

8-12-2009 @ 6:02PM

birchibaldbarlow said...

The money this moron thinks he is making/saving by not shortchanging himself on his bonus...is lost when compared to the performance bonuses he will miss later on. His NEXT contract is the big one. Assuming he doesn't flame out, his contract 4-5 years from now is the big money. If he is slow to develop and pisses away part/all of this season, his career stats and spotty play will be a negative in negotiations.