February 28, 2009
No fault by Bills on Dock
Here's a clarification on the Bills release of Derrick Dockery, based on conversations with a league sources and a source close to Dockery.
The Bills planned to release Dockery Thursday, the day before the start of the new league year. They were contacted by the Detroit Lions Thursday afternoon about working out a trade. However, the trade market did not open until 12:01 a.m. Friday. Dockery was due a roster bonus of $1.75 million at 12:01 a.m. Friday. So the Bills had to file paperwork to push back the paying of that roster bonus by two days, all the while working on the terms of a trade. Meanwhile, Dockery and his agent were talking with the Lions about what kind of contract he might get and what kind of fit he would be with the Lions.
It all came together - getting Dockery to agree to go to Detroit, getting a good idea that the Lions could strike a deal with Dockery, and getting the Bills to work out trade parameters with the Lions - right about the 4 p.m. deadline. The paperwork for pushing back the bonus was filed. Dockery was released.
But on Friday the Bills and Lions found out that the league office deemed that the paperwork either never got approved in time by the league office or never made it in on time by the deadline. It was a race to the finish.
"There is a lot of paperwork involved, and there were a lot of moving parts to get done by 4 p.m.," said Dockery's agent, Todd France.
Was it the Bills' fault that it all didn't come together by the deadline.
"By all means, no," France said.
