Crabtree In Charge Of His Wrongs And His Rights?

I’m tired of people saying that Michael Crabtree is the last man standing in the 2009 NFL Draft class.  Let’s call it how it is.  Michael Crabtree is the last man sitting.  Sitting on his ass while the 49ers win ballgames (something they could not do last year), players earn themselves and their families money, and fans happily spend money and time to watch their favorite players (including rookies) and teams win or lose on any given Sunday.  The man is sitting, waiting, wishing…throwing away time.  And not earning any money on endorsements.

As an agent, I understand the value of holding firm to your guns.  You cannot be a pushover or be seen as a pushover.  You will lose your clients and your competitors will hold it against you in your future recruiting efforts.  But are Eugene Parker‘s tactics concerning the Crabtree account any better for his client or future recruiting strategy?

That said, Parker is only the agent.  He has a fiduciary duty to do what is best for his client.  He may not be the one advising Crabtree to continue his holdout from signing a contract.  And he definitely cannot come out in the public and let the media know that he is advising Crabtree to take a different course of action, if that is truly what is happening behind closed doors.  Instead, he has one option: terminate his agreement with Crabtree.  Again, that option only makes sense if it is actually Crabtree behind this madness and not Parker aiding Crabtree to continue to sit out of games and practice.

It worries me when there are too many people making the decisions.  When I heard that Crabtree’s cousin made the original announcement that sitting out the season was a possibility, I immediately got concerned.  Perhaps Parker does not have complete control of even the standard features of an agent’s job description.  Michael, you signed an agent.  Use him for advice.  Use him as the mouthpiece for your negotiations.  Do not have your cousin make announcements to mainstream media.  Unless, of course, he is your “actual agent” and Parker is merely your NFLPA certified advisor, because the NFLPA mandates that you use someone who is licensed.  Again, I doubt this, as Parker has proven his negotiating skill time and time again.

Apparently, other agents are trying to take advantage of the inactivity of Parker and Crabtree and use it as a pitch to have Crabtree change agents now, before any contract is signed.  There is also word that the Jets told Team Crabtree that they would pay a good amount more than the 49ers are offering, should Crabtree be available in next year’s draft (if the Jets keep winning, though, who says he will be available at their slot).

Just like you, I am tired of Crabtree holding out.  Maybe if Vick gets substantial time on the field for the Eagles this weekend, we will be able to take our minds off of Crabtree for a day or two.