The Los Angeles Rams made a bit of a surprising move this offseason, cutting star running back Todd Gurley before his lucrative extension that he signed in 2018 even kicked in.
It’s no secret that Gurley wasn’t himself in 2019 due to an arthritic knee condition, but instead of hoping he will bounce back in 2020, the Rams decided to part ways with the 25-year-old to free up some much-needed cap space.
Gurley had plenty of guarantees in his contract though so the Rams still owe him money, which he has made public in recent weeks that they haven’t paid him.
While the Rams feel they have not broken any contractual obligations by not yet paying him, they certainly will have to eventually.
In an interview on the UNINTERRUPTED: We Run This Station podcast, Gurley made it clear that he is not talking to any of his former Rams teammates until he gets paid:
“I still ain’t got my money, so it’s really, forget the Rams right now. I don’t even care about them,” Gurley said. “I told my ex-teammates that they can’t even text me or call me until I get my money. As soon as I get my money, then I’ll be cool with everybody else.”
Gurley added that he feels the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the reason the Rams have not paid him, but if they don’t by June 1 then he will take further action:
“I don’t know what their reason is. And the worst thing about it is they know they have to pay me too. Apparently probably just using the COVID thing as an excuse. Or they probably ain’t got no money to be paying anybody. They’ve got that stadium being built right now. All I know is, come June 1st, I better have my money.”
Clay Matthews, who was also cut by the Rams this offseason, has already reportedly filed a grievance against the organization for a similar reason.
It looks like Gurley will do the same if he’s not paid by the beginning of June, although hopefully it will not come to that. Gurley and the Rams had some great years together so it would not be ideal for the two sides to be on bad terms, even if he’s now playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
