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More On Meggett's Situation... The Patriots opted to absorb the remainder of his current and past signing bonuses, which will result in a $2.175 million hit against their 1998 salary cap. If Meggett doesn't sign on with another team this season, Meggett may also be eligible to receive a $200,000 injury settlement for being released while injured. If that should happen, the sum would not count against the Patriots salary cap. The team must absorb the remainder of the signing bonus attached to his current contract ($925,000), which was restructured last July, and about $1.2 million from a past signing bonus. The Patriots thought about waiting until June 1 to release Meggett, which would have enabled them to split the salary cap hit over two years. Vice president of business operations Andy Wasynczuk said, "We decided as an organization after going over our options that we'd rather absorb the hit now so we'll be free to do some of the things we'd like to do next year." Some of those things include signing LB Ted Johnson, a vital part of the defense. The many parts of Meggett's off-field problems include being the father of several out-of-wedlock children. He has fathered 5 children by 4 different women. Any Patriot fan knows Owner Robert Kraft finds that truly unacceptable (remember DL Christian Peter?), clearly sealing Meggett's fate. One annonymous club executive said, "I think it's clear why Dave Meggett is no longer a Patriot." |
