Lito Sheppard is excited to be out of Philly, even if he really isn't in a better financial situation.
All this talk of Lito getting a big bonus in New York is pretty much nonsense. Lito will get $3 million this year as a base salary. Wonderful. But what about the bonus? It's a $10 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the league year in 2010. You think the Jets are going to pay him that? Neither do I. It will probably force a restructuring or a release.
Nonetheless, he's happy to be out of Philly.
"I'm happy to have a fresh start," said Sheppard. "I have a lot of football left in me, and I'm glad to have a fair opportunity to show that."
So why did you have to leave the Eagles?
"After my second Pro Bowl season [in 2006], it started going downhill when I addressed the fact that I felt like I wanted a new deal," he said.
"I truly believe that if they paid me and they paid Asante at the same time, and if I had a pretty good year, then people would have asked, 'Then why would you bring in Asante?' They had to keep me at a minimum in terms of play time."
And you know he knows exactly what's going on with Sheldon Brown currently.
"I talked to him and told him it's the same thing I was going through," Sheppard said. "I already know what the outcome is going to be.
"He ultimately won't even be playing before the end of the season. It's a known fact. I hope they prove me wrong."
So now Lito thinks that there should be a change in how the league does contracts. Here's a change for you: If you don't like the deal, don't sign it.
"I wish the league would do something," he said. "[In my situation], you feel like you're doing everything right, perfect teammate, working hard, doing everything you're supposed to do, but it doesn't work out in the end. There should be some rules of guidelines. You shouldn't be able to devalue an employee like that."
Cry me a river.
"It's like injuries," he said. "You can't cut a guy when he's hurt, so how can you sit a guy without probable cause? Whenever a guy feels like he needs a new deal, if he addresses that, don't make it like, 'You don't tell us what to do. We have to show you who's boss.' That's dead wrong."
Lito, you were hurt almost all the time. I spoke to someone last year who said that Lito definitely did something to warrant that drop on the depth chart and he knows what it is. If you have a problem with the way contracts are worded, then talk to the union.
