LAKE BUENA VISTA - After five days of camp, Bucs coach Jon Gruden is getting tired of answering questions about Keenan McCardell's holdout, and Tuesday he fired a few shots of his own.
Gruden made it clear the Bucs are continuing preparation for the season without the receiver and reiterated the team's stance that it expects McCardell to honor his contract.
"I think a lot of people in society who aren't football players or coaches outperform their contract," Gruden said in rare commentary on the situation. "There are a lot of teachers who outperform their contracts. I think there's a certain duty and responsibility to live up to them."
Gruden's comments did not sit well with McCardell or agent Gary Uberstine. McCardell said he was "surprised" by Gruden's comments.
"It's hard not to take them personally, and I am disappointed that he chose that route," McCardell said. "I understand that a holdout is emotional and confrontational. Unfortunately, I think things will only get worse as time goes by. At this point, all I can do is continue to train hard on my own and be as prepared as possible for whatever may come."
McCardell is entering the third year of a four-year, $10-million contract he signed in June 2002. He is due to make $2.5-million this season and wants a contract that pays him close to the average of the No. 1 receivers, which his representatives calculate at about $4.3-million.
"I'm not going against Keenan and his philosophy," Gruden said. "They have to do what they've got to do. They have their own viewpoint. That's part of being an American. It's unfortunate because he's a good guy and a good football player. Sometimes, things don't work like you want them to, but you can't take your ball and go home."
While the Bucs expect McCardell to honor his contract, Uberstine pointed out that NFL teams seldom do the same, routinely cutting players in the middle of their deals.
"I continue to believe that the sanctity of the contract argument is not valid in a system where players are routinely discharged or forced to take pay cuts when they get injured or underperform," Uberstine said. "This is certainly not the case in other major team sports, or even in the employment contracts of coaches or general managers, where salaries are 100 percent guaranteed.
"If it's proper for NFL coaches with guaranteed contracts to renegotiate for increased compensation after a successful season, or taking on increased general manager responsibilities, it is no less proper for players who have a much shorter career span to receive similar treatment."
Said Gruden: "Business is business. There's a salary cap. There's an economic side of football that's sometimes an injustice. No matter how you slice it, there are going to be some difficult situations. ... There might be a lot of players who have outperformed contracts but because of the salary cap or a lot of reasons, it's hard to redo everybody."
