Donte Whitner Deserved Better. Shame on You Sashi Brown.

On Kaepernick Radio, former GM Jeff Rickert and co-host Ross Tucker discussed the timing of Old Man Whitner's release, and it really bothered me.

Ross spoke from a player's perspective, and suggested that other players, seeing this, will see the Front office as hostile.

When their contracts near expiration, they'll tell their agents to play hardball.   They'll be more inclined to leave.

Rickert didn't throw me a lifeline.  He said that a trade could have been in the works that fell through, but if so, they clearly didn't let Whitner in on it.

And this seems doubtful, given Whitner's salary, and the fact that no prospective trade partner swooped in to scoop the free agent up.

Most likely, Sashi and company were simply undecided, and when the awkward prospect of this player flying in for training and THEN being cut loomed large, they made up their minds.

Ross says that "how you treat people" matters, and both the former player and the former GM agree that this was handled very badly.  Whitner was a highly regarded mentor and leader, who wanted to come to his home town team when no one else did, and this is what he gets?

Rickert made a suggestion that Sashi would do well to listen to: Release a statement apologizing to Donte, and then never do anything like this again.

If this goes unaddressed, in Ross's words, it will "fester".

This was a big mistake, Sashi.  Ross is right: How you treat people matters.  It can retain or lose good players.  It can save or cost you money.  Do the analytics now, Sashi: It can get YOU fired, too.  APOLOGIZE.  And write him a check, while you're at it--you probably cost the guy a million bucks.

Rickert shed some more light on analytics as applied to football, too:

Between Goff and Wentz, they'll determine specific strengths and weaknesses.  Perhaps, for example, Wentz is more accurate on deep outside throws, but Goff is better at short and intermediates.

They'll take this to Hue Jackson, and ask him which one suits his offense better.

I just need to insert here: Jeff was speaking hypothetically, I think.  I might be wrong, but I don't think Wentz is more accurate in any sub-category.

I learned more about Football Outsiders' Goff vs Wentz analysis, from Pat McNanoman:

Their calculations see the chances of Wentz being a bust as much higher, and Goff being a stud much higher.  Per this analysis, it's not close: Goff is superior.

This puts me in the Goff camp.

But a lot of very smart people don't agree, and for all we know, Hue Jackson might be one of them.

So I reserve the right to change my mind.  I'll keep collecting information until around the third pick in the draft, and give you my final opinion then.