The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could void Doug Martin’s salary guarantee for 2017, following his four-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. According to Jenna Laine of ESPN and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times , Martin’s contract features clauses that allow the Bucs to void his guarantee in a case like this.
While general manager Jason Licht said that their “primary concern is that [Martin] takes this time to focus on getting the help that he needs in order to move forward with his personal and professional life,” the NFL is still a business, and not a particularly kind one.
If the Bucs decide that they don’t want to pay Martin $7 million for his participation following his stint in a treatment facility, they won’t. It’s as simple as that.
Hopefully, Martin will come through his time in a treatment facility free of whatever drug abuse he’s struggling with, and he can get back to form in 2017. Even if the Bucs decide not to wait for that.