PATRIOTS PLAY DIRTY WITH VINCE WILFORK

[OG Hack Wilson]

Ron Borges of the Boston Herald reports Vince Wilfork learned this week how the Patriots roll when it comes to player negotiations. It's the same way he rolls at nose tackle - low, hard and sometimes dirty.

Next time Patriots management talks about not wanting to negotiate in the media, Wilfork and his teammates should remember what just happened to him. Anyone who doesn't know who leaked the threat of the team going after $500,000 of bonus money if Wilfork doesn't report to a mandatory minicamp today has their hands over their eyes.

The clause in the collective bargaining agreement the Pats threatened to invoke is no longer in effect. It was judged so onerous it was changed in 2006 when the CBA was last extended. But because Wilfork signed his six-year deal in 2004 he is not protected from the wording in effect at that time, which said the portion of a signing bonus attributable to a player's remaining years is at risk if he refuses to perform.