By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

TRAINING CAMP

When: Saturday-Aug. 25. Where: Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky. Schedule: Players report today; Saturday practices 8:45-11:10 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. Complex open 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

A sticking point in the Bengals' negotiations with draft picks is contract language requiring 100 percent participation in the team's offseason conditioning program.

The Bengals, for the first time, are reserving the contractual right across the board to recoup portions of signing bonus money if the rookie draft picks don't show up for all workouts in the 14-week program.

That demand is greater than what many other NFL teams require for their spring programs. Most teams leave wiggle room that calls for an 80 percent participation requirement, according to the NFL Players Association.

Richard Berthelsen, the union's general counsel, said he has heard from some agents who represent Bengals draftees and the club's demand is a reason some of the picks have yet to sign contracts.

Only three of 11 picks - the final three players taken in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds - had signed as of the end of business Thursday.

The top eight players remain unsigned, though second-round safety Madieu Williams is expected to sign in time to practice Saturday, his agent said. Players are to report between noon and 3 p.m. today at Georgetown College.

"It is troubling," Berthelsen said of the Bengals' 100 percent requirement. "It sounds like a club saying: 'We've got you. We drafted you. If you want to play in the NFL, take it or leave it.' "

In the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the labor union, the NFLPA defines "reasonable" offseason participation as 80 percent, said Berthelsen.

The current collective bargaining agreement first states that offseason workouts are "strictly voluntary." Under Section 3, which covers payment, the labor agreement calls for players to receive a daily payment of $100 (for the 2003-2004 league years, $110 in 2005-06) for "any workouts or classroom instruction ... provided the player fulfills the club's reasonable offseason workout requirements."

The union also objects to what Berthelsen said he considers a double penalty. If the player, he said, does not participate in the reasonable amount of workouts, he forfeits the daily payment. Reclaiming part of a signing bonus would be a second financial punishment.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, speaking through team spokesman Jack Brennan, said Thursday that he didn't see the clause as a problem and didn't consider it a stumbling block that was preventing contracts from being completed.

The timing of the clause is relatively odd, because the Bengals have enjoyed nearly full participation in the offseason program the past two years under Lewis. Previous spring programs were poorly organized and sparsely attended.

Since Lewis' hiring, though, Bengals players have talked about wanting to be there to work as a team toward the goal of making the playoffs. Lewis also has strengthened the overall roster and created increased competition for jobs, so players have said it is in their best interest to attend the spring workouts. The program has run from late March through the end of June the past two years.

The Bengals are telling agents they will work with their players in situations such as a family emergency or special event, including charity work.

But some agents are wary of leaving their clients unprotected in the contract and giving the team sole discretion. The decision is the head coach's.

Williams' agent, Mason Ashe, said Thursday that agents and players "don't like everything teams do. Every team has their pet peeve."

"I don't get bent out of shape over this type of stuff," Ashe added. "I've never seen it be a problem."

Williams, a safety from Maryland, was the team's third overall draft pick and second of the second round.

The Bengals are believed to have used the 100 percent participation clause with some veteran free agents and employed it last year in the contract for fullback Jeremi Johnson, who had a history of weight problems.

Some veteran Bengals players - wide receiver Chad Johnson, cornerback Deltha O'Neal, tackle Willie Anderson, linebacker Kevin Hardy and safety Kim Herring - have six-figure workout bonuses in their contracts. In fact, for players on their roster as of June 3, the Bengals were paying $3.5 million in workout incentives.

The Bengals drew the union's wrath in 2000 when they began making a "loyalty clause" a standard part of player contracts. It allows the team to regain portions of signing bonuses from players whose words and actions make it impossible for them to return to the team.

The team is not believed to have used the clause on disgruntled running back Corey Dillon, traded in April to New England, after he made several disparaging remarks about the Bengals and teammates.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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