$10,000 motorcycle may cost $40 million

It looks like would-be football star Kellen “The Chosen One” Winslow is likely to say goodbye to at least part and maybe all of his $40 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, says Steve Sugarman (Cal-Berkeley) in a story reported in the Orange County Register.

Winslow injured himself riding a $10,000 motorcycle in a parking lot May 1.  His contract prohibits him from riding a motorcycle, and provides that breach of the contract will result in a required refund of his signing bonus as well as the future compensation under the contract.  The tight end’s lawyers will be scanning the document for angles, but Matt Mitten, who heads the Sports Law Program at Marquette, seems to agree that he’s probably toast: ‘”This is a case where Winslow voluntarily engaged in novice motorcycling that was forbidden by his contract, and his conduct impaired the value of his services.”