Reggie Bush's holdout might last the whole season!

[Toastyone]

No. 2 overall pick and Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush not only appears headed for a holdout with the New Orleans Saints, a league source said Bush is toying with the idea of sitting out the entire season and going back in the draft in 2007 if he doesn't get his price.

"No player has ever had the kind of leverage that Reggie Bush has right now," the source said. "The Saints made it clear what they were willing to do before and now we'll see if they're going to get there."

It seems unlikely the Saints will do that in time for Bush to report to training camp with the team on Thursday in Jackson, Miss. Two sources said that talks between the Saints and agent Joel Segal have been nearly non-existent.

On Wednesday, Mike Ornstein, who is Bush's marketing agent, told the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss., that he didn't think Bush would be signed in time for camp. Ornstein is not allowed to negotiate contracts, but he is acutely aware of all of Bush's business matters.

One of the sources took that a step further, saying Segal was considering not having Bush sign at all. Segal declined to comment when contacted Friday and messages left with multiple members of the New Orleans organization weren't returned.

While it appears unlikely on face value that Bush would sit out, he appears well-positioned to do so if he really wants.

Bush supposedly has more than $5 million in the bank from multiple endorsement deals Ornstein has negotiated since Bush left the University of Southern California. That money is guaranteed regardless of whether Bush plays this season.

Next, Bush could probably sit out 2006 and still be a high pick next year.

Furthermore, Bush probably has the public sentiment running in his favor. Even though holdout players are generally unpopular, Bush has caused tremendous excitement in New Orleans.

In May, shortly after Bush was drafted, the Saints had already set a franchise record for season-ticket sales, having topped 55,000 at that time. That's extraordinary, especially considering the condition of the hurricane-ravaged city.

Moreover, team owner Tom Benson is immensely unpopular in New Orleans. Ranging from his hard-line negotiations with the city and state to constant threats that he will move the team, Benson is often treated with open scorn by Saints fans.

Bush has also worked hard to endear himself to fans in the city after it came out that he didn't want to play in New Orleans. Bush has made multiple donations to hurricane relief.

Link

:pinch: Wow, I thought they offered him a pretty good contract but I guess Bush has listened to the hype too much and already thinks he is the greatest player in the NFL

[....]

I hope he does sit out a year, gets all fat, and can't play. Rookies that haven't played a down in the NFL shouldn't have any leverage at all IMO. I'd even take it a step further, and say you can't play a rookie more than 1 million a year until they prove themselves. Then, year two, they can get whatever.

But...I'm not in charge.

[Nexus]

Link

:pinch: Wow, I thought they offered him a pretty good contract but I guess Bush has listened to the hype too much and already thinks he is the greatest player in the NFL

Yeah, and thats what I hate about all these star college players that get drafted. Their ego is more inflated than their ability. Sure, in college they were great but now they are playing against Pro's and they end up playing like some mediocre player in the NFL. It should have taken the generous contract, at least until he can prove himself and renegotiate later.

[L3thal Veteran]

What a scum. He should sit out the whole year and enter the draft next year and be drafted in the lower first round and get paid even less :laugh:

[Matrix XII]

Wow.. if he actually went through with that he'd get booed at every stadium for the rest of his life probably lol

[mattmatik]

So, all those 55,000 season ticket holders are going to side with Reggie Bush if he sits out a year? Somehow, I doubt that.

I hope this dude falls on his face. He was amazing to watch in college and I thought he was pretty level-headed on and off the field. But after the story about his family taking gifts from agents and now this, I think otherwise.

[Ayepecks]

This is why I hate the NFL.