Los Angeles Times - 18.03.2020

D6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

With a new coordinator in
Brandon Staley, the Rams
defense is going to look differ-
ent during the upcoming sea-
son.
The scheme itself might
not change all that much
from 2019. But the same can-
not be said of the players ex-
ecuting it.
On Tuesday, an exodus of
Rams defensive players con-
tinued when linebacker Cory
Littleton agreed to terms on a
lucrative deal with the Las
Vegas Raiders, and the Rams
informed slot cornerback
Nickell Robey-Coleman that
they would not exercise their
option for the final year of a
three-year contract he signed
i n 2 018.
The moves came a day af-
ter defensive lineman
Michael Brockers ended his
eight-year tenure with the
Rams by signing a $30-mil-
lion deal with the Baltimore
Ravens.
Those departures, com-
bined with safety Eric Wed-
dle’s retirement, mean the
Rams must replace at least
four key defensive players as
they attempt to rebound

from a 9-7 season that saw

them miss the playoffs for the

first time under coach Sean

McVay.

The Rams, with little sala-

ry-cap space, attempted to

keep Littleton, who began his

career as an undrafted free

agent and evolved into a Pro

Bowl player. But they appar-

ently would not go as high as

the three-year, $35.2-million

deal offered by the Raiders,

which includes $22 million in

guarantees, according to

overthecap.com.

Robey-Coleman would

have carried a salary-cap

number of $4.5 million had he

returned for a fourth season.

Now, attention turns to

edge rusher Dante Fowler.

The Rams on Monday

opted not to place the fran-

chise tag on a player who last

season produced a career-

best 11^1 ⁄ 2 sacks while playing

on what essentially was a

one-year, prove-it contract.

Fowler earned a base salary

of $12 million and had $2 mil-

lion in performance incen-

tives.

Pass-rush specialists

Shaquil Barrett of the Tampa

Bay Buccaneers and Yannick

Ngakoue of the Jacksonville

Jaguars were tagged by their

teams with one-year con-

tracts for $15.8 million and

$17.8 million, respectively.

On Tuesday, the market

for pass rushers continued to

take shape. Former Rams

end Robert Quinn parlayed

an 11^1 ⁄ 2 -sack season with the

Dallas Cowboys into a five-

year, $70-million deal with the

Chicago Bears that includes

$30 million in guarantees.

The Tennessee Titans gave

Vic Beasley a one-year, $9.5-

million contract that could

escalate to $12 million.

Trade buzz surrounding

running back Todd Gurley

was more muted Tuesday as

the NFL conversation cen-

tered on Tom Brady’s next

move. But Gurley and, per-

haps, receiver Brandin Cooks

remain in play as trade capi-

tal for a franchise that is feel-

ing the pinch from massive fi-

nancial commitments made

to Gurley, Cooks, defensive

lineman Aaron Donald and

quarterback Jared Goff.

Jalen Ramsey — for whom

the Rams gave up two first-

round draft picks — will earn

$13.7 million this season in the

final year of his rookie con-

tract, and he will no doubt

seek a record-breaking ex-

tension. The cornerback

market rose Tuesday when

the Miami Dolphins agreed

to terms with Byron Jones on

a five-year, $82.5-million deal

that includes $46 million in

guarantees.

The Rams are expected to

speak with Goff ’s representa-

tives this week about possibly

restructuring his $134-million

contract to give the team

more financial flexibility.

Contract guarantees and

roster bonuses are due this

week for Goff, Gurley, Cooks,

Donald, tight end Tyler Hig-

bee, offensive lineman Rob

Havenstein, linebacker Clay

Matthews and receiver

Robert Woods.

The Rams will explore free

agency and the draft to find

linebacker depth to replace

Littleton. Third-year pro

Micah Kiser is scheduled to

return after sitting out the

2019 season because of a chest

injury suffered during pre-

season. Kiser had been on

track to start before he was

injured. Travin Howard

gained experience last sea-

son as a backup.

Robey-Coleman proved

valuable in former defensive

coordinator Wade Phillips’

hybrid 3-4 scheme. His profile

rose in 2018 after game offi-

cials missed an obvious pass-

interference infraction in the

NFC championship game

against the New Orleans

Saints. He also tipped

Brady’s first pass — leading

to an interception by Little-

ton — in the Rams’ 13-3 loss to

the Patriots in Super Bowl

LIII.

In addition to Ramsey,

other cornerbacks on the

Rams roster are Troy Hill,

Darious Williams, David

Long and Dont’e Deayon.

The Rams on Tuesday

also tendered one-year con-

tracts to tight end Johnny

Mundt and center Coleman

Shelton as exclusive rights

free agents.

So far, Rams’ offseason

has had plenty of losses

Robey-Coleman and

Littleton join exodus,

won’t be part of

new-look defense.

By Gary Klein

CORY LITTLETONis leaving the Rams after sign-

ing a lucrative contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

John McCoyGetty Images

THE RAMSelect not to exercise option on final year

of slot cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman’s contract.

Carolyn KasterAssociated Press

The message went out
just past midnight as Sun-
day turned into Monday: If
any employers around the
country had temporary jobs
for minor league players,
please let me know.
Emily Waldon hoped she
could help. She works two
jobs, one writing for the Ath-
letic about baseball prospec-
ts and the other as customer
service manager at a Mer-
cedes-Benz dealership in
Michigan. Perhaps a few
people with work to offer
could hire players who had
not been paid in months, and
whose next paycheck might
not come for several more
months.
Her tweet generated hun-
dreds of job leads, for stock
clerks and delivery drivers,
for sales representatives and
private coaches, and for
more. A senior citizen in Cin-
cinnati offered to pay for a
minor leaguer to do some
yard work and handyman
chores.
Some folks had no em-
ployment opportunities, but
they offered money. One
player’s wife broke down in
tears when Waldon said she
could forward a $200 dona-
tion to help support the cou-
ple and their toddler.
“I’m not doing this to say,
‘Look at what I’ve done,’ ”
Waldon said. “I’m doing it be-
cause it’s not being done.”
For Major League Base-
ball, the coronavirus hiatus
could have the unintended
consequence of thrusting
the issue of low minor league
pay into an unavoidable and
uncomfortable spotlight.
For the advocates who have
challenged MLB on this is-
sue the last several years,
this could be their moment.
“It’s the same regurgita-
tion every year,” said Jeremy
Wolf, cofounder of More
Than Baseball, an organiza-
tion that provides assistance
with housing, food and
equipment to minor leagu-
ers. “You can just copy and
paste from year to year.
“But now, something like
this is on a bigger scale: I’m
being forced home with no
assistance from my team.”
Indeed, in a memo to
teams Sunday, MLB said mi-
nor league players should
“return to their offseason
residences to the extent
practical,” with exceptions
for players rehabilitating in-
juries, or for those who would
return to a high-risk loca-
tion. Wolf said his organiza-
tion provided $200 to a Vene-
zuelan minor leaguer whose
team provided an airline
ticket to Caracas but no
money for the seven-hour
taxi ride from the airport to
his hometown.

It has been less than a

week since MLB shut down.

Since then, the league has

negotiated with the players’

union over salaries and facili-

ties available to major league

players, announced a $30-

million fund to assist ball-

park workers suddenly out

of work, and announced do-

nations to programs feeding

children and senior citizens

during the coronavirus

crisis.

Assistance for minor

leaguers remains on the to-

do list for the league, which

takes in an estimated $11 bil-

lion a year. The majority of

teams, including the Angels,

are awaiting guidance from

the league.

The Dodgers, however,

decided to pay the stipends

they would otherwise have

owed players through the

end of spring training. In

training camp, just as in the

offseason, minor leaguers

are not paid a salary.

“Our players came in af-

ter a winter of training with

an expectation that, during

spring training, we would

provide assistance with

housing and meals,” said An-

drew Friedman, the Dodgers

president of baseball opera-

tions. “Obviously, their

spring training ended

abruptly. Therefore, we

wanted to help by providing

their remaining allowance.

“Our hope was to allevi-

ate some of their immediate

concerns, as all of baseball

continues to navigate this

unprecedented situation.”

The San Diego Padres,

Boston Red Sox, Miami Mar-

lins, New York Mets and

Tampa Bay Rays also are

continuing to pay spring al-

lowances to their minor

leaguers, according to Base-

ball America. The Rays pay

each minor league player

$400 per week during the

spring.

The minor league season

was scheduled to start in

early April, so it is uncertain

what teams might do then.

According to Garrett

Broshuis, an attorney and

former minor league player,

the minor leaguers may be

ineligible to collect unem-

ployment insurance because

they remain under contract

to their teams — and thus

employed by a business,

even if that business is shut

down.

In the meantime,

Broshuis said, minor league

players still face monthly

payments such as car loans

and phone bills. Players that

attended college might have

student loans too, because

the NCAA allows 11.7 schol-

arships for every Division I

baseball team, so even the

best college baseball players

often are on a partial schol-

arship.

“The bills don’t stop be-

ing due just because of the

coronavirus,” Broshuis said.

And, while the major

leaguers have a union advo-

cating for them, the minor

leaguers do not.

“This is a prime example

of why there needs to be

structural change,” Broshuis

said.

For now, there is Waldon’s

Twitter account, and an

Adopt a Minor League Play-

er program with which Wolf ’s

organization works, a Go-

FundMe account set up by a

former minor league player,

and another GoFundMe ac-

count set up by an unidenti-

fied group of current minor

leaguers.

For the long term,

Broshuis represents a group

of minor league players su-

ing MLB over violations of

minimum-wage laws. The

suit, filed six years ago, re-

mains pending.

The major league owners,

who pay minor league play-

ers, responded by success-

fully pursuing legislation to

mandate that players be

paid the federal minimum

wage. The law, however, ex-

empts teams from having to

pay players for a sixth or sev-

enth day each week, for over-

time, and for any time out-

side the season.

MLB has said it plans to

raise minor league pay next

year. Under the new scale,

annual minor league salaries

would range from $4,800 at

the lowest levels to $14,000 in

triple A.

MLB also has indicated it

would like to eliminate 42 mi-

nor league teams, and with

them roughly 1,000 jobs for

players.

Wolf has recruited minor

league players to spread the

word about his organization.

He said he offers a $200

equipment stipend.

“More guys are interested

in doing that because they

really need the money right

now,” he said.

Wolf, 26, is a former minor

league player. He made the

Israeli baseball team that

qualified for this summer’s

Tokyo Olympics, but it is un-

certain whether the Games

will be held. He can no longer

use the batting cage at the

Arizona high school he at-

tended since the school is

closed because of the co-

ronavirus.

He said he had a corpo-

rate donation lined up to

help fund his organization,

and provide him with a sala-

ry, but the donation is on

hold, given the uncertain im-

pact of the virus. So, like the

minor leaguers for which he

advocates, he is out of a job.

It’s not a minor matter for unpaid ballplayers

Many below the

majors struggle

financially. Shutdown

makes it even worse.

By Bill Shaikin

DODGERS BASEBALL OPERATIONSboss Andrew Friedman, left, with manager Dave Roberts and out-

fielder Joc Pederson, says the club “wanted to help” by paying minor leaguers full stipends during shutdown.

Kent NishimuraLos Angeles Times

‘It’s the same regurgitation every year.

You can just copy and paste from year

to year.’

— Jeremy Wolf,

on MLB not correcting low pay in the minor leagues

On the day after Major

League Baseball conceded

the delay in its season could

last months rather than

weeks, each team has agreed

to contribute $1 million to a

fund to assist ballpark work-

ers who suddenly found them-

selves out of work because of

the coronavirus hiatus.

On Sunday, the Centers

for Disease Control and Pre-

vention recommended sport-

ing events and other large

gatherings be called off

through at least May 9. On

Monday, Commissioner Rob

Manfred said MLB would fol-

low that recommendation.

Manfred said in a state-

ment Tuesday that all 30

teams then reached out to

him about how to “assist the

thousands of ballpark em-

ployees” affected by the delay.

Manfred said the owners

were “motivated by desire to

help some of the most valu-

able members of the baseball

community.”

Manfred said each club

would announce details par-

ticular to their community

while conforming to state and

local laws as well as collective

bargaining agreements. He

added: “I am proud that our

clubs came together so

quickly and uniformly to sup-

port these individuals who

provide so much to the game

we love.”

On Thursday, the union

representing more than 5,600

workers at five Los Angeles-

area pro sports venues asked

owners to maintain wages and

benefits for game-day em-

ployees affected by the sports

shutdown. On Saturday, the

owners of the Kings, Lakers

and Clippers jointly an-

nounced a fund to help Sta-

ples Center workers. The total

financial relief is expected to

exceed $5 million.

The Lakers have 10 sched-

uled home games left in the

regular season, the Clippers

nine and the Kings seven, with

the workers losing money

now.

In baseball, each team

plays 81 regular-season home

games. The prospect of a

shortened season has become

increasingly likely. The All-

Star game, scheduled July 14

at Dodger Stadium, could be

delayed this year or resched-

uled for another year.

Each MLB

club to give

$1 million

to fund

Money will go toward

assisting ballpark

workers during the

suspended season.

By Bill Shaikin