2006 2nd rounder Brent Brewer quits baseball (football at Tennessee); Latest: plea deal on assault charge

[craigharmann]

Just saw that Brewer is going to Tennessee to play football.

[Invader3K]

Guess he really was interested in playing football after all. Go figure.

[homer]

Goo luck to Brent. Hope he makes it.

[TheCrew07]

Good for him, at a high profile program in a power conference. I hope football works out for him.

[YoungGeezy]

Maybe the next Javon Walker!

 

Edit: Nevermind ha he will no longer be playing WR but be moving over to Safety

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brent Brewer hitting with Vols, not Brewers

BY PATRICK BROWN, sports@knoxnews.com

 

Brent Brewer flashed a wide smile.

 

“Oh yeah, a lot of fun,” the baseball player-turned-Tennessee defensive back said after Saturday's practice.

 

“Just being out here with all the fellas, hitting.”

 

Brewer spent more than four years playing baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor-league system before deciding to play football at UT in June, and the 6-foot-2, 205-pound freshman couldn’t be happier with his choice.

 

“I was really over baseball,” he said. “I wasn’t having fun anymore. Baseball is, you just go out there, going through the motions, go out to the game and have no fans.

 

“It’s a different thing out here. There’s a lot more excitement.”

 

UT coach Derek Dooley said Brewer’s time as a baseball player will help his football career.

 

“A lot of those baseball guys, you love them cause they’re so mature,” Dooley said. “They really have a nice comfort zone with coaches, I think it’s the nature of that sport.

 

“I think he’s going to be a steal for us. He’s a great athlete, he’s instinctive. The problem is he hasn’t played (football) in five years, and that’s a long time.”

 

Brewer signed to play football at Florida State out of Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga., in 2006, but chose baseball after Milwaukee drafted him in the second round (60th overall).

 

Brewer, who’s working at strong safety, said he’s handled the physical transition to football. Now all that’s left is the mental aspects of learning the defense and making reads.

 

“Every day is going to be a big time for me,” he said, “so I’ve got to come out here and prove myself.”

 

“How soon, I don’t know,” Dooley said, “but I’m glad we have him.”

[battlekow]

It took me a second to realize I was watching Brent Brewer on TV just now. Almost drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Tennessee-Alabama game.

[Mass Haas]

Josh Murray, the 2002 2nd round shortstop, is on the University of Georgia football team as a backup safety and special teams player, joined as a walk-on in 2010. He's 26 years old now. His brother Aaron is the young stud redshirt freshman starting quarterback for the 'Dawgs.

 

Here are two 2009 links, and a 2010 link with Murray's World Series pick. Interesting tidbits along the way...

[molitor fan]

From the second Murray link......

Before he came to Georgia, he played minor league baseball until injuries forced him out of the game.

That made me laugh a little bit.....

I watched Brewer today vs. South Carolina, and he was a big reason for the loss....he was brutal

[paul253]

Kind of sad that two of the "toolsy" second round draft pick shortstops quit to play other sports after failing miserably at baseball. Give them credit though for having the guts to move on and do something that will (hopefully) make them happy.

[CheezWizHed]

Not so sure why that is sad... (sad they failed?). All of us here not playing baseball probably failed at some level. Just that for most of us, it was at high school. Then we moved one to something else. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[paul253]

Not so sure why that is sad... (sad they failed?)

 

No sad because we wasted second round draft picks on them.

[brewcru1]

Just some info on the signing bonus aspect of this conversation, though the posts were from quite some time ago.

 

It's one thing if the player is released, obviously he wouldn't owe the club anything. It's something else, though, if the player quits and refuses to honor his contract after he signs. There is language in players' contracts that forbids them from doing just that. Otherwise, you'd see kids signing contracts, getting paid their bonus, and then quitting and doing something else.

 

I'm sure in this case that the Brewers had Brent agree to a contract that prohibited him from playing football. It's called 'Dual Sport Language' and happens with athletes who are good in two sports, eg Kyle Parker and the Rockies.

 

The Brewers probably do have legal recourse to recoup at least a prorated portion of the bonus, if not more.

[dadofandrew]

Brewer signed a standard deal, which includes renewals for 7 seasons. If he wants to quit after 4, I'd say he owes the Crew 43% of his bonus.

[MJLiverock]

So if you sign you become an indentured servant that must keep toiling away as long as the team needs a body to fill a roster spot somewhere?

 

It was pretty obvious he wasn't going to make it to the majors and clear the Brewers weren't going to get the future player they hoped for. Why force a player you don't need or really want to keep playing just because of a sunk cost like a bonus? Seems petty.

 

There is always risk in paying a bonus upfront and more often than not in baseball it doesn't pan out but high draft picks get them because they don't make squat until they reach the majors and even then only a token amount relative to veterans until they reach arby. That is the trade off the union and owners agreed to. Nothing about paying back bonuses if a guy stinks, fails, washes out, gets hurt, quits, gets old, is blocked, goes crazy, etc. Just like the players don't get another bonus if they turn out to be Pujols or Braun and reach the majors quickly and tear the cover off the ball.

[dadofandrew]

His bonus covers 7 years. If he didn't want it to blow on wine, women, and song, he should have played college ball right away.

[Mass Haas]

Brent Brewer suspended after arrest

Associated Press

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee safety Brent Brewer has been suspended pending an investigation after police arrested the sophomore on a domestic assault charge.

 

Brewer was free on $1,500 bond Sunday, according to Knox County Sheriff records.

 

"Without knowing all of the facts, any domestic incident warrants a suspension from all team-related activities until a thorough investigation is concluded," coach Derek Dooley said in a statement. "We respect everyone's right to the legal process but also acknowledge a greater standard of conduct associated with the privilege of being a member of the Tennessee football team."

 

Brewer played in every game as a freshman for the Volunteers in 2010, starting the last six, and made 30 tackles. The 22-year-old from Tyrone, Ga., played the previous four years in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

 

***

 

To be fair, if he's ever exonerated, we'd link that, too. It doesn't state specifically it was against a female, not that it would make things much better if it weren't.

[battlekow]

It doesn't state specifically it was against a female, not that it would make things much better if it weren't.

The Knoxville News Sentinel:

According to documents obtained by the News Sentinel, Brewer allegedly attacked a female in his apartment "by placing his hands around her throat" and also "shoved (her) into a wall and continued strangling her"...the police report [alleged] Brewer prevented the woman from leaving his apartment and [stated] she had visible marks on both sides and the front of her neck, left wrist and both arms...

[gregmag]

Whatever the facts, good for the U. of Tennessee. Legal process is important, but schools and teams should be aggressive about domestic abuse allegations. I hope the young woman is okay, and -- well, I hope Brent didn't do it, but assuming he did, I hope he gets some consequences and then gets help.

[Mass Haas]

Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper:

Tennessee safety Brent Brewer has reached a plea agreement and been reinstated to the football team. Brewer was placed on diversion on a misdemeanor charge of offensive touching. The charge will be dismissed if Brewer remains out of trouble for six months.