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Who's to blame? Rice's departure from 49ers stirs debate
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement is the finest in professional sports. But the system that has created unparalleled success and harmony among the league's players and owners has one ugly flaw. And that flaw rendered Jerry Rice a Raider. Or at least that's the conventional wisdom. Monday's news that Rice is no longer a 49er and officially will become a Raider this week came as no shock to our systems. Rice's final home and away games in December were treated like a farewell tour, and San Francisco's Hall of Fame wide receiver deserved to savor every last tribute spawned by his record-breaking career in red and gold. It's just that Rice still should be wearing 49ers colors. And he's not. And depending on whom you talk to, it's either the well-worn salary-cap restraints or the equally familiar constraints of age that led the 49ers to wave farewell to the game's greatest receiver. Just because we had time to prepare for Rice's departure from San Francisco doesn't make it any more palatable. Just because 49ers fans knew they were witnessing the end of an era doesn't mean they should have had to. But the reality is that in today's NFL, high-salaried veterans often find themselves priced out of their home markets in the final year or two of their careers. Is that what happened to Rice in San Francisco? Was it money, or age, or a combination of both? On Monday, there was some debate. "This was a personnel decision on the part of the 49ers," said Jim Steiner, Rice's longtime agent. "It was a decision to go with younger players versus the veteran. It's a philosophy. They have the right to have that philosophy, but I'm not going to let them off the hook by calling it a cap decision and letting them cloak it in that language. They have younger receivers that they want to play." True enough. The 49ers, despite any overwhelming amount of evidence, are convinced that J.J. Stokes is ready to take a step up and join No. 1 receiver Terrell Owens on the field every play. Stokes' playing time will come directly from Rice's total. Presumably, the 49ers will be tickled if Owens duplicates his 97-catch, 1,451-yard, 13-touchdown breakthrough season of 2000, while Stokes elevates his game to Rice's level of last year (75 catches, 805 yards, seven touchdowns). But the 49ers have long maintained that those weren't the most pertinent numbers in their decision to release Rice. Faced with paying the 38-year-old Rice a cool $2.5 million in 2001, San Francisco opted to allow its living legend to hop the Bay Bridge and sign on with the rival Raiders. By waiting to release Rice after June 1, the 49ers spread the consequences of his 2001 salary cap across this year and next. No surprise there. It happens that way all the time these days to lesser NFL luminaries. But Steiner doesn't accept the financial rationale behind Rice's release. He says San Francisco never discussed paying Rice anything to play for them this season, and even dangled a $1 million payment if he would retire as a 49er. "If they were prepared to pay him $1 million to retire, you can't say it was a money thing," Steiner said. "It was just a personnel decision to not bring him back. Case closed." Whatever the case, Oakland, which will owe Rice approaching $3 million during the course of the next two years, was ready and willing to ante up for the receiver who sets three NFL records every time he catches a touchdown pass. And the fit has looked like a natural all along. Rice gets to stay home in the Bay Area, as do his three children, two of which are still in school. His commute to work gets maybe 15 minutes longer, and his role with the Raiders figures to be substantial. After all, this is a 2000 playoff team that signed Andre Rison as late as August and still saw him contribute a high-impact 41 catches for 606 yards and six touchdowns. While Rice doesn't rule out any need for Rison's return, it now seems unlikely. "You're talking about a guy with great character, who takes care of himself extremely well and caught a lot of balls last season in a pretty good offense," said one veteran NFL front-office member of Rice. "Any time you're considering a guy who is 38 or 39, you're going to take it one year at a time. But the guy is in great shape and he was really motivated to be in Oakland." Motivation has always been a huge part of Rice's game. And he'll have it this year in boatloads. What better spot than Oakland to highlight the error of San Francisco's ways? Whether it was money or age that drove the 49ers decision. My hunch says Rice will make quite a splash in Oakland this season at some point. Maybe even show up on the cover of Sports Illustrated one week, with one of those "Look who's a Raider" headlines. But as good a story as that will make, it won't make up for Rice not turning into the Cal Ripken of the NFL, playing his entire illustrious career in the same uniform. The NFL knows it must do more to make sure stories like Rice's don't keep recurring. That's why the league this spring began to study ways it can create some sort of salary-cap allowance for veterans of distinguished service. A grandfather clause of sorts for the league's elderly. It'll come too late for Rice, of course. When we next see him, he'll be in silver and black. And we'll all have to re-adjust our collective memories once more. Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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