Event Date: December 18th, 1983
Event Description: NFL versus USFL
Source: United Press International
Billy Sims admitted Sunday he has signed two five-year contracts -- one on July 1 with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL and a second on Friday with the NFL Detroit Lions.
But he also admitted he signed the Detroit contract against the advice of Lions' attorney's.
“The Lions' lawyers tried to advise (general manager) Russ (Thomas) not to sign me,” Sims said. “But he wanted to do it anyway.”
“We feel we have a binding contract with Billy,” Detroit owner William Clay Ford said. “I guess it (the two contracts) means a problem for somebody.
'I guess this matter is just going to have to be resolved in court. We never saw the contract but our lawyers said go ahead and have Billy sign it.”
Dr. Jerry Argovitz, the one-time dentist who used to represent Sims but now is a part-owner in the Houston USFL franchise, came to Detroit's game against Tampa Bay and said the star running back signed a contract with the Gamblers on July 1.
“And we gave Billy Sims a substantial amount of money as part of that contract,” Argovitz said. “I am appalled at what Bill Ford and Russ Thomas have done to Billy Sims. On Friday they told Billy, 'You just sign this contract -- we'll take care of the rest and get you out of the Houston contract.''
Sims admitted the Lions gave him a $1 million bonus to sign a five-year contract which he said started at $600,000 a year and went up to $800,000.
He said this was more than what Houston offered for the five years and although the Gamblers were to give him a $1 million bonus, they had only given him part of it last July.
“I signed both of them, to tell you the truth,” Sims said. “But my heart is right here. I was going to contact Jerry before this came out but I never got the chance. 'I feel I was misled on a few things,” Sims said. “Jerry feels that I wasn't. I guess it's going to come down to the USFL versus the NFL.”
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