Working For The Dallas Cowboys: Day 3

Just when I thought yesterday could not be topped, it was. Today I learned from Mr. Adam Prasifka, one of my mentor's associates, how to read contracts and dissect the dollar amounts being discussed within the contract. He has an extremely high knowledge of how contracts work, since he is after all the guy that writes out the contracts for each player signed by the team. However, the way he explained them to me was by using actual NFL contracts that have been given to players from other teams that he was able to pull from a database within the leagues website.
I learned how to find the injury and skill money guaranteed, which is the money guaranteed to a player if he is cut because he's not playing well, or if he is injured. I also learned how to find the signing bonus, which a player will be able to receive no matter what happens; and also the concept of escalators, which will elevate a player's salary if he reaches certain goals set for him. He also stated that with every NFL contract, there are certain clauses that say if violated, the player will default, or void the contract, thereby not receiving his full pay. The things that may null the contract are league suspensions caused by the use of banned substances (alcohol, drugs, steroids), league suspensions due to violation of the league's conduct policy, or sometimes non-football related injuries, like a motorcycle accident; in simpler terms, being really stupid and getting caught. Also, Mr. Prasifka then showed me the contract of current Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, because it was extremely complicated with all the terms and clauses that were in it, and he used it to show me how complex NFL contracts can really come to be, especially with rookies.
The funny thing though is that the player rarely reads his contract, that's why he hires an agent. All the player does is just sign his name on the dotted line. Today was really cool, and I can't wait for tomorrow.