Notebook: Milloy going for the money had ring of reason

Insider | Notes

Buffalo Bills safety Lawyer Milloy is taking a beating in the media.

He is being portrayed as a greedy, get-all-I-can player who thought money was more important than winning.

Guess what? It is.

Lawyer Milloy's bottom line backs up his decision. (Getty Images)

As callous as that might sound, especially to the legions of NFL fans whose lives are affected by what their teams do on Sundays, it's the truth.

Players play for the money.

Not the rings.

Many fans and media members lose sight of this: To the players, it's their job. It's how they put food on their table. It's how they clothe their families, save for their kids' college and, hopefully, set themselves up for life.

So getting all they can is what it's about.

Milloy did that. And now he's being criticized in some circles for selling out, putting money ahead of team success. In an interview on WEEI in Boston few weeks ago, he questioned players staying with the Patriots for less money, which made him the center of a greed storm.

In 2003, Milloy was asked by the Patriots to take a pay cut, even though he was an effective starter at safety. He refused, the Patriots released him, and he subsequently signed a five-year contract with the Bills for $18.5 million, including a $5 million signing bonus. The Bills have not made the playoffs in his two years. The Patriots have won two rings.

So the theory is that he should have settled for less money and stayed to play for a chance to win a ring.

Just a thought: How much college tuition will those rings buy come 2015? Books, maybe. Maybe.

In the two years he has been with the Bills, Milloy has pocketed $9.75 million, including the $5 million bonus. He would have made two-thirds of that if he had agreed to a cut in New England. Using that as a formula, he made an additional $3.25 million playing for the Bills.