Minnesota Vikings WR Troy Williamson missed last week’s game against San Diego to remain in South Carolina following the death of his grandmother who helped raise him and to visit his brother who has been in and out of a coma as a result of a car accident since September.  Only after being slammed by the media did the Minnesota Vikings agree to pay Williamson his one-game salary for the game. 

The NFL is a unique situation where you get paid to play in 16 games during a season that takes place in short period of about 4 months.  Every game counts.    What if a player had a relative that is having surgery or their wife is about to give birth to their child?    Where does the team draw the line?

My stance is this: you DO NOT pay a player for missing a game to attend to any personal matter.  Put yourself in the shoes of an NFL owner.  I do have a heart, but I do run a sports business and I understand the importance of family, but I pay players to play on Sundays and if they cannot fulfil that obligation, then they should not be paid.  I do not care if you are an overpaid WR like Troy Williamson, or super-stud Tom Brady.  You miss a game, you don’t get paid.   Period, end of discussion.