Ed Reed says holdouts necessary

Ray Lewis had this to say last month about Ed Reed, his longtime Baltimore Ravens teammate:

"Ed is Ed, and when July 25 (training camp) comes up, Ed will be here and we'll be getting ready to roll."

In an interview with WJZ-FM radio in Baltimore on Wednesday, Reed painted the picture of a player who might not be as "ready to roll" as one might think.

"The only way a player gets what he wants is by holding out," Reed said, via the Carroll County Times.

Reed, 33, is set to complete the final year of a six-year, $40 million contract that he signed in 2006. He's due a $7.2 million base salary this season and is already in line to be docked $70,000 for sitting out mandatory minicamp.

"This is not about money," Reed said. "This is a business. There's two sides to every business."

Reed said he's "good with staying in Baltimore" and added this gem for critics who believe he should take the $7.2 million and play out the deal he agreed to: "Babies whine, I'm a grown-ass man."

Fair enough. One potential sticking point here: Reed has no agent. He fired Eugene Mato after his last deal was negotiated and never replaced him. You'd think it'd be a good idea to secure new representation, but perhaps this is a matter Reed believes he can resolve without forking over the 10 percent.


(nfl.com)