Getty Nyheim Hines #20 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after a win.
The Buffalo Bills are taking some criticism for their stance toward Nyheim Hines as a contract dispute with the running back’s agent becomes increasingly public.
Hines is out for the season after suffering a serious knee injury in a jet ski accident. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that because it was a non-football accident, it will wipe out Hines’ $2.56-million salary and the team is now trying to claw back more of the money he had been owed.
That did not sit well with some fans, who took Hines’ side in the dispute and criticized the Bills for aggressively seeking to recoup some of the salary and bonuses he had originally been owed.
Bills Called Out for ‘Unfair’ Stance
Hines did not appear to be directly at fault in the incident. The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Hines was not operating his jet ski at the time of the accident, and that someone else crashed into him.
“While sitting stationary on a jet ski, Nyheim Hines was struck by another rider and sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” Pelissero wrote on Twitter. “Hines will require surgery and will miss the 2023 season.”
But because it was a non-football injury, the Bills proposed withholding the $400,000 installment of Hines’ $600,000 signing bonus that was scheduled to be paid later this year, Florio reported. The team is also seeking to withhold a $100,000 workout bonus that Hines earned in the offseason.
“The Bills also are willing to pay Hines $289,000 in 2023, which matches the highest amount that can be paid to a practice-squad player,” Florio wrote.
Some fans disagreed with what they saw as an aggressive attempt to recoup money in an accident where Hines was not at fault.
UNFAIR: How the Buffalo #Bills are playing hardball with Nyheim Hines and are being stubborn on working out a fair deal for both the player and the team.
Nyheim was NOT out there doing stupid things, he got injured sitting STATIONARY on a jet ski when another novice jet skier…
“How ironic.. The Buffalo Bills don’t care about their own players,” one fan tweeted.
“The Bills aren’t required to pay Hines anything according to his contract,” another wrote on Twitter. “That is very problematic to me. I believe all $$ should be guaranteed in the NFL, period. Buffalo should do the right thing and pay him.”
But other fans supported the Bills, noting that player contracts spell out what activities they must avoid, and there are consequences for breaking it.
Bills Remain Silent on Contract Negotiations
The contract dispute went public this week when Hines agent, Ed Wasielewski, took to Twitter to make a cryptic statement that appeared to criticize the team.
“Adversity reveals character,” he wrote. “Everyone has a choice to treat others with respect and dignity. It’s revealing when an employee is injured to see how a company takes care of its own. I will continue to believe that people will do the right thing when bad things happen to their own.”
Florio reported that the two sides are in negotiations over exactly how much Hines might owe back to the team and what he would be paid for the season. The Bills confirmed the negotiations are taking place, but would not say more.