The New England Patriots pro bowl guard Logan Mankins has been holding out for several weeks now in hopes that the Patriots decide to pay him what he is owed based on his performance. Mankins knows just like many around the NFL that the New England Patriots are not exactly an organization that pays their top players a top rate. In short the Patriots are a stingy organization, and tend to cut players rather than pay them a large contract, especially if they are a little bit older.
You can chronicle the history very easily of the Patriots players who have had contract issues with the team, Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Lawyer Milloy, and now Logan Mankins. The Patriots have become used to players coming to play for them for a discounted price in hopes of winning a super bowl, but players that they have drafted generally have a tough go trying to get top dollar out of the team. Bob Kraft the owner of the team is not necessarily a cheap person, but he is running a business and wants to get by as cheap as he possibly can.
The situation with Mankins has taken things to a new level because things became personal between him and the team during the holdout and contract negotiations. The Patriots were close to a long term deal with Mankins, and it seemed that the team was finally going to fold to his demands. The deal was reported to be a long term six or seven year deal worth about $56 million, which was going to be on par with other players of Mankins caliber had received.
Mankins arrived at the Patriots facility to sign the new deal, but was asked to apologize for comments he made about the Patriots owner and the organization about their willingness to give him a new deal. Mankins called the Patriots owner and his son, and apologized to both of them for the criticism. When Mankins got off the phone apparently he was also asked to make a public apology to the owner in the media, at which time Mankins balked at the demand and left without signing the contract. Now both parties are far apart, and an end to the holdout is nowhere to be found to get him signed.
It is difficult to determine who is right here, but most probably would have signed the contract and apologized publicly to get it behind them. But Mankins is standing on principle here, he may feel that if they had just given him the contract he asked for earlier none of this would have been necessary. To finally fold and give him the contract then demand two apologies is childish behavior, should Mankins have made those comments in the first place? Probably not, but when you have a team who appears to be trying to pay you less than what you feel you are worth would anyone say any different? Who knows how this situation is going to end, but it is clear that things are not as calm inside the Patriots organization as we are led to believe.
