From Fox Sports' NFL Blog:
It's always tough losing a talented player like receiver Koren Robinson, but the Minnesota Vikings wrote a contract for him that definitely took into account any chances for an alcohol-induced relapse, something that occurred last week.I've always thought that the club's contract writer, vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski, was pretty sharp and he proved it once again by not giving Robinson any guaranteed money or a signing bonus.
Consequently, none of the new provisions in the collective bargaining agreement should be a factor in getting their money back. Also, they don't owe him any future payments. Remember, it was Brzezinski who fashioned the impossible-to-match language that got All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson out of Seattle.
A year ago at this time, new owner Zygi Wilf wanted to show the players that he was dumping the tight-wallet approach that suited Red McCombs, the previous owner. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who signed a bad contract with the Vikings, wanted more money and Wilf acquiesced. This time around Wilf and the Vikings were much smarter.
Minnesota gave Robinson, who actually made the Pro Bowl last season as a kick returner, a $1 million roster bonus when he signed in March. But the bonus had a forfeiture clause for alcohol-drug related offenses. The key point here is that there aren't any restrictions on forfeiture language on roster bonuses like there are on signing bonuses in the new CBA. The Robinson contract language for the 2007 and 2008 seasons is exactly the same.
Robinson was to receive $81,250 per each game he was on the active roster this season. The Vikings, however, were actually willing to guarantee for injury all of the weekly roster bonuses, something he won't see now, though. The Vikings have a great case to recoup the $1 million roster bonus if they choose to do so.
And Robinson has no one but himself to blame on this one. The sad part is that he is very talented. It's why the Seahawks, who drafted him as a first-rounder, gave him numerous opportunities to clean up his act.
So, not only do we not owe the guy another penny, but when he's released, we can probably get back the $1 million+ he's already been paid.
Awesome. Brez is the king.