Eagles after salary cap relief for Cousins saga

[Damien]

Source
Interesting.....

[swansrock4eva]

To be honest I'd be cranky if they were given the concession - by all reports they KNEW cousins was on a bad path quite some time ago and they let it continue instead of stepping in early and bringing the problem under control - why should the League have to pay for their inability to manage their players' welfare?

[goswannie14]

To be honest I'd be cranky if they were given the concession - by all reports they KNEW cousins was on a bad path quite some time ago and they let it continue instead of stepping in early and bringing the problem under control - why should the League have to pay for their inability to manage their players' welfare?

I was trying to think of how to word it...you have summed up my thoughts perfectly.

[Industrial Fan]

I'm not a fan of cousins, but it sets a bad preceedent if clubs cant spend money on players in this type of instance. It would seemingly only encourage them not to act on behalf of the player where it may be considered necessary on a personal level.

Is there any allowance in salary caps for that type of expense in general?

[swansrock4eva]

But the club knew since at least July last year and let it go on without doing anything until it finally got to this big mess. If they'd stepped in when they found out, chances are it wouldn't be running up the tens (possibly even hundreds) of thousands of dollars it is now. If they can't financially help themselves after letting the mess develop and play out the way it has, then why should the league cop the cost? If they had been proactive rather than reactive chances are we'd have seen Cousins on the field against us 2 weeks ago rather than getting on a plane to go to rehab and this wouldn't be an issue. Instead, the club is now saying "we wouldn't look after our player when he needed us, so we're trying to make do now - can you help us?" The only precedent that sets is that clubs can get away with not taking care of issues early in the piece, because the AFL will help them cover the cost when it gets bigger and more damaging.

[NMWBloods]

As I read it, they have not asked for money. They have asked to exclude the payments from salary cap calculations. Or does 'relief' mean they want reimbursment? Not a very clear article.

[hammo]

As I read it, they have not asked for money. They have asked to exclude the payments from salary cap calculations. Or does 'relief' mean they want reimbursment? Not a very clear article.

Agree. A very confusing article.

[swantastic]

IMO the E-girls should get nothing all they are is friggin drug cheats.

[Airbanjo]

If clubs have to include the cost of drug treatment for players in their salary cap, wouldn't that dissuade them from helping the players. Effectively, WC are playing with a 500k less valuable playing list than other clubs at the moment, so I reckon it's fair to ask that the "fringe benefit" of drug treatment doesn't count toward the cap, meaning they'll be 560k short.

[Industrial Fan]

I read it to mean they dont want the money they have spent on his rehabilitation to be included in the cap.

If they want the money back they can get stuffed, but that's not how I understood it.

[573v30]

If they want the money back they can get stuffed, but that's not how I understood it.

They'll probably get that money back from more crappy merchandise and a new "home" jersey.

Benny's salary should've paid for all the expenses.

[NMWBloods]

I read it to mean they dont want the money they have spent on his rehabilitation to be included in the cap.

If they want the money back they can get stuffed, but that's not how I understood it.

Yes, that's they way I read it and I think it's fair enough.

[Doctor]

I read it to mean they dont want the money they have spent on his rehabilitation to be included in the cap.

If they want the money back they can get stuffed, but that's not how I understood it.

I read it exactly the same way and agree with you. I don't see any reason why the payments to the rehab clinic should be included in the cap but any request for relief in terms of his salary payments should be treated with the contempt it deserves. I can't see the Eagles being brazen enough to try it either. They'd have to know which way the wind of public sentiment is blowing on this one.

[Bleed Red Blood]

Rehab bills would come under medical costs mmm?

And medical costs are as far as i know also included in the salary cap.

Neither should be.

[Damien]

Compulsory insurance would cover injuries, so therefore wouldn't dent the salary cap as such (i.e a Knee injury in round 10 would have already been factored in via insurance premiums)

They are basically paying a personal bill for him, which has to be included in the salary cap. Their salary cap must be very tight for them to be requesting this, and it would also suggest that Cousins is not losing any of his salary this year while he is in rehab.