NO CONTRACT EQUALS NO HOLD OUT
At a time when plenty of players are absent from training camps around the NFL, we think it's time to reiterate an important distinction that the media and the fans need to keep firmly in mind when looking over the list of guys who are sitting at home while their teammates are sweating their ***** off.
The term "hold out" applies only to guys who are ignoring a contractual obligation, not to players who have no contracts.
So no rookie who is not under contract ever should be called a "hold out." Likewise, Jets defensive end John Abraham and any other veteran player whose contract has expired and who has not signed a new deal is entirely within his legal rights to not be present, and it's not fair to slap these guys with an inherently derisive label.
The problem is that "hold out" is quick and easy, and that there's no similar shorthand reference that properly captures the status of a guy who, for whatever reason, hasn't received an acceptable contract offer.
These players are in limbo, at impasse, in football purgatory, casualties of the negotiation process -- but not hold outs.
Hold out. Those seven simple letters and two easy syllables likely will never find a widely-used replacement in situations where the player is doing nothing wrong by not being with his team.
