Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

The Jermaine Jones Contract Drama: Get Over Yourself Bro

(Editorial) – The New England Revolution front office has made a few good moves this off season. Their preseason is already underway. They play their first preseason friendly this Sunday against the Houston Dynamo. The club eagerly awaits the return of Lee Nguyen, who’s having a good January Camp with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

But there’s an elephant with dredlocks not in the (locker) room. And his name is Jermaine Jones. It’s the Boston based soccer soap opera that keeps on giving. The Jermaine Jones contract drama is still out there waiting to get resolved.

The German-born American International signed an 18-month contract with the Revs in August 2014. He helped lead the Revs to within an extra time goal of MLS Cup. Hopes were high going into 2015, but he started only 17 league games due to national team call ups and nagging groin and hernia injuries.

Still, the Revs were hopeful for another long playoff run with the help of their bullish midfielder. Their 2015 playoffs lasted one game, as the club lost 2-1 against D.C. United. Jones was given a red card at the death for inappropriate conduct (shoving, yelling, maybe a headbutt) towards referee Mark Geiger.

Jones confronted Geiger after a questionable handball in the box was not called. #GeigerShow or not, Jones should have known better. He was already on a yellow card for unsportsmanlike behavior. His USMNT teammate, Clint Dempsey, had been suspended earlier that summer for referee abuse. But he lost his head in a moment of rage.

Jones was given a six game suspension for his actions. He’s 34-years-old and has had injury issues the past few seasons. Furthermore, when he is healthy, he will be involved with the USMNT. He’s currently with the team for January Camp and is listed as unattached.

So an MLS club hoping to sign him will have to have him sit out the first six games of the season. They will possibly lose him for Copa America Centenario and a few international friendlies. And he probably won’t be healthy the full season. It’s understandable then that the Revs only offered him a fraction of what is DP contract was.

Jones can get frustrated all he wants, but taking your contract negotiations to twitter is unprofessional. Furthermore, it didn’t really help him get any sympathy/support from the media or the fans.

Taking all the baggage that comes with having Jones take up a roster spot in 2016, he just isn’t worth DP money. Jones apparently thinks he deserves that (based on past performance and the aura of a USMNT star). He clearly doesn’t know his American sports history of poisonous expensive contracts paid to aging stars based on past performance under a salary cap structure.

The fact that no MLS team has swooped in and offered Jones a contract he finds acceptable is telling. What’s more complicated, it appears the 6 game ban will follow him should he choose to leave MLS. Jones claims this is hurting his ability to negotiate and sign with clubs in Europe or Mexico.

If he really had an issue with this, he shouldn’t have gotten physical with Geiger. If an international club really thought he was worth it, they would have signed him by now. The January transfer window just closed and teams have probably made all the moves they were looking to make. European clubs aren’t interested or have offered Jones a salary beneath him.

Baring some last minute desperation, playing outside MLS isn’t going to happen for Jones. If he’s going to play in MLS, it’s most likely with the Revs.

Bottom line Jermaine: get over yourself, bro. Swallow your pride. You’re going to miss the first six weeks of the season and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re old and probably not healthy. Maybe you should announce your retirement from the national team. Then clubs would know you won’t be gone for Copa America and other USMNT matches. That still doesn’t make you a DP though, not even close.

Pride cometh before the fall. At some point you’re going to have to decide between the ~80% pay cut and not playing at all. The Revs aren’t thinking about you. They’re thinking about playing Houston on Sunday.

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