If this story is true then what it says about Heath Evans is despicable. [strike] Now, having said that, let's look at what this event says about the Dolphins.
First, if the story is correct it means that someone on the team (Coach/GM/??) called Evans and told him that he had been cut. You don't do that over the telephone. You do something like that in person. Whether it means bringing him to Davie or sending the coach to his home. You fire a man in person, not over the phone.
Second, doesn't every NFL team have a security division that is responsible for protecting team assets like this? Where was the Dolphins security team? If they knew they were going to cut him over the phone, why didn't they have a security guard ready at his door to ask for the return of the playbook? I have had the misfortune of having to fire a couple of less than competent employees over the course of my career and the protocols for doing this are well known. You turn off the employee's access to the company's computers while he is in the office with the manager who is firing him. This speaks of an unbelievable level of incompetence in the Dolphin's front office.
Third, why didn't the Dolphins file a lawsuit against Evans to require the return of Dolphin's property? Surely there must something in every player's contract that requires return of team property upon completion of employment with a significant financial penalty associated with failure to do so. Did the Dolphins even report this to the league offices?
What Evans did is theft of team property, pure and simple. The failure of the Dolphins organization to anticipate, prevent and respond to this theft is beyond belief. And people wonder why we are remain mediocre..[/strike].
