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+---- Thread: *THE DOGHOUSE Vol. 9 (/showthread.php?tid=50021)
*THE DOGHOUSE Vol. 9 - Brad Woof - 03-08-2024
13% to @WalterYensid, 87% to @Brad Woof
SELF-DESTRUCTION?! SHOCKING SIGNING STIPULATION SWEEPING STARTING SETTLEMENTS!
Contract discussions are in full swing in the ISFL, with players and GMs alike looking to nail down their needs and wants from their active and prospective players going into the offseason. The Ultimus and Ultimini loom large at the moment, but all eyes are also on the S47 ISFL Draft, which takes place immediately upon the closing of tonight’s championship games. As the S47 draft class prepares itself for selection, a key component of their future in the ISFL is also (hopefully) being considered: their own demands.
While it’s true that players, in general, look to make themselves the most desirable candidate for any given team during the draft, there are also many players that have goals of their own for their time in the league and those players attempt to plan their contracts accordingly.
Some clauses are fairly straightforward and common, like the various incentive clauses for reaching statistical milestones. Baltimore Hawks WR Diego López de Castilla (@DL14) has one such contract, where he gets various monetary bonuses for breaking certain records or winning various awards like Offensive Player of the Year.
Another common contract demand is the No-Trade Clause, like Colorado Yetis DE Marco Steele’s (@TubbyTim69), who has the option to veto any potential trade to the San Jose Sabercats. No-Trade Clauses are one of the few ways for players to have control over the teams they play for, and the reasoning can vary wildly.
Strange clauses sneak into league contracts from time to time (Otters K Eliot Bukowski’s (@Jimi64) contract requires teammate Smokin Jay (@Beck) to write a poem about him for every game winning kick in the last minute of play), but no clause is stranger, or has more potential for catastrophe, than the new Self-Destruct Clause somehow becoming popular amongst this season’s rookies.
The Self-Destruct Clause is an extreme variation on the classic No-Trade Clause that comes with a tough gamble. When invoking a Self-Destruct Clause, a player designates (or has a representative designate) a specific team or number of teams in the league and places that selection in the care of the ISFL Head Office. Only the player or the player’s representation knows the contents of the selection.
If, at any point, the player is traded to a team on their hidden, pre-selected list, the player retires immediately after the execution of the trade.
To avoid tampering or subterfuge, the Head Office will unseal the player’s selections and confirm that the affected team is indeed on the list, but otherwise the receiving team would be out of luck. League rules do require the player to finish the season during/after which they are traded, but their participation would be at a minimum and the team would lose both the capital they traded away and any future years they expected from the traded player.
But why, you ask? The Doghouse had the same question and we sat down with Bondi Beach Buccaneers CB Walter Yensid (@WalterYensid) to ask him. Mr. Yensid is a top prospect for the S47 ISFL Draft, so we wanted some clarity for ISFL GMs before they were put on the clock:
Doghouse: “Firstly, thanks for meeting with us Walter, we appreciate the time. You must certainly have a lot on your plate this close to the draft.”
Walter Yensid: "Yeah so I have a ton of food on my plate! I'm training for a post-draft marathon so I have some garlic bread, pasta, rice, steak tips, acai bowl, and a smoothie for later. I'm super pumped up for the draft and I'm hoping I go first round for a Dotts card! If I go first overall for the bonus Dotts card then I'm super excited!"
[Readers should know that first round selections in the ISFL Draft get a custom-created Dotts card in their name and image.]
DH: "Great to hear! We have no doubt about your skills so we expect a card soon! But Walter, to cut to the chase, you’ve mentioned being interested in the new Self-Destruct Clause making its way around the league. What makes something like the SDC tempting for a rookie going into the draft?"
WY: "The SDC is a clause I've thought deeply about. There's one team that didn't scout me and when I asked to be scouted I was asked to switch to TE and be benched or stop talking to them.”
DH: “That is horrible! Downright negligent!”
Walter nods.
WY: “I would consider doing a SDC just to avoid going to them as that is just disrespectful. I spend hours recruiting and hours creating videos to help with league engagement. I'm just here for good vibes and I want to do my best work for a team that respects my growth."
DH: "Totally understandable. Most mock drafts have you going at the very top of the first round, are you afraid something like the SDC would affect your appeal?"
WY: "If anything the SDC would show I'm more willing to stay with the team that drafted me no matter what! My friends say I'm like a golden retriever. I love to chase people down on runs and I'm overly loyal to a fault. This would help protect me from any blindsides like one tv producer did on me that one time. I'm super excited to make a positive impact on day one on my new team!"
DH: “We’re sure that you will. Thank you for your time Walter.”
There you have it, dear readers. Top talent sees the Self-Destruct Clause as both a testament to their loyalty and also a way to strike back at teams who have disrespected them. Will more rookies become enamored with the SDC as Yensid has? Will the top draft talent commit to this dangerous contract stipulation or will they decide to play it safe and keep their stock high? Surely league GMs have something to say about it?
We asked Honolulu Hahalua GM IceBear (@IceBear32), a man not afraid to make trades, how he felt on the subject and he did not mince words. “The new Self-Destruct Clause is a travesty to the league. Honolulu lives and dies by the trade and adding another element of risk is scary.” When we asked about drafting or trading for a SDC player, IceBear said, “I would support that the SDC comes with a challenge to deflect the [clause]. I also think [about] the double self destruct trade. One SDC to another SDC trade for the “wrong” teams is so unlikely both teams should be rewarded somehow.”
The new clause could certainly turn into a Pandora’s Box for the league and GMs, but do they try to step in the way of player agency after the recent uproar from its rookie players? Surely Jonathan Irons (@jadda123876) is salivating at the prospect of another demonstration! A delicate situation to be sure, with the health of the league in the balance. As always, keep an eye on the Doghouse for any updates on this developing story.
But for now, buyer beware!
RE: THE DOGHOUSE Vol. 9 - 37thchamber - 03-08-2024
I mean... Why not take it up a notch and have a Russian Roulette Clause? If you're traded, to any team, you roll a six-sided die. If it's a 6, you retire.
Maximum chaos. Embrace it.
RE: THE DOGHOUSE Vol. 9 - WalterYensid - 03-08-2024
(03-08-2024, 04:32 PM)37thchamber Wrote: I mean... Why not take it up a notch and have a Russian Roulette Clause? If you're traded, to any team, you roll a six-sided die. If it's a 6, you retire.What happens if you roll a nat 1 o_o
Maximum chaos. Embrace it.
RE: THE DOGHOUSE Vol. 9 - JoeSteel - 03-08-2024
Just call the team out so we can all point and laugh