In case you have not yet heard, four Detroit Lions players, including safety C.J. Moore, have been suspended for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Moore, who was found to have bet on NFL games, was suspended for at least one year, and he was subsequently cut by the Lions. According to a report from Pro Football Talk, the Lions will still have to pay Moore his $1.4 million signing bonus, due to the language in his contract.
Key Points
- Four Lions players, including Moore, were suspended for violating the NFL's gambling policy.
- Despite being cut, Moore will still receive his full $1.4 million signing bonus, as the language in his contract means he gets the money regardless of whether he had been cut, and a suspension for violating the gambling policy doesn't count as a forfeiture for the purposes of signing-bonus money.
- Moore retains the $700,000 he already received, and he gets the $700,000 he’s due to be paid in September, regardless of the suspension.
Detroit Lions still have to pay C.J. Moore $1.4 million, despite cutting him
Here is how Pro Football Talk, the language in Moore's contract means he will still get his full $1.4 million signing bonus from the Lions, despite being cut.
Via Pro Football Talk:
As we interpret the CBA and Moore’s contract, he gets the money regardless of whether he’d been cut. A suspension for violating the gambling policy doesn’t count as a forfeiture for the purposes of signing-bonus money. He gets the money, whether he was cut or whether he wasn’t cut.
So Moore retains the $700,000 he already received, and he gets the $700,000 he’s due to be paid in September. He would have gotten it if the Lions hadn’t cut him. He earned it when he signed the contract. His suspension for a gambling-policy violation that occurred before he signed the contract doesn’t change it.
Bottom Line: It appears as if Moore will get $1.4 million for doing nothing
Assuming Pro Football Talk is correct, the Lions will be forced to may Moore his full $1.4 million signing bonus, despite the fact that he is suspended for a least one year, and has been cut by the team. This entire situation is very unfortunate, as Moore has just signed a contract extension with the team, and he has been one of their most-reliable special teams players.
