Friday, August 27, 1999

Adrian Murrell, above, is the top paid player with
Hawaii ties playing in the NFL. He'll make
$1.5 million-plus with the Arizona Cardinals this year.

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Play For Pay

Sixteen players with Hawaii
ties are playing in the NFL and
five will earn more than
$500,000 this season

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Adrian Murrell, Kimo von Oelhoffen, Chris Naeole, Ma'a Tanuvasa and Jason Elam will be the highest paid National Football League players with Hawaii ties in 1999.

All of them will earn more than $500,000 this season, according to figures obtained by the Star-Bulletin.

Murrell, the former Leilehua High School running back whose contract with the Arizona Cardinals runs through this season, is the highest paid. He will make a base salary of $1,575,000. With incentives he's already earned, his total pay for the year will be $1,579,200.

Murrell, a seven-year veteran who carried over two years of a four-year contract signed with the New York Jets (who traded him to the Cardinals), also received a bonus when he signed. That does not factor into his 1999 cash.

Kimo von Oelhoffen, of the Cincinnati Bengals is
second at $902,310.

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The figure that is usually published or broadcast about a player's contract is a lump sum, which includes base salary, incentives the player is likely to earn and signing bonus.

It is often misleading. What the Star-Bulletin sought to do was compile data on just how much each Hawaii NFL player makes this year.

Murrell is one of 16 players now under contract in the NFL who were born in the islands or played high school or college ball here.

Nine of those players will see their contracts expire at the end of this season.

Players are paid their base salaries on a per game formula, using 17 (the number of weeks in the 1999 regular season) as the divisor.

If a player is placed on injured reserve during the season, he continues to be paid at that rate. But if he is released during the season while he is healthy, he is paid only for the number of games he was with the team.

The Star-Bulletin compiled its data from a number of sources around the country who have close ties to the NFL.

NFL minimum salaries range from $175,000 for a rookie to $400,000 for a player with five or more seasons in the league.

In some contracts, the bulk of the money is paid in base salary, thus Murrell's $1.5 million base.

Others contain hefty signing bonuses.

The second highest paid Hawaii player in 1999 will be Molokai's von Oelhoffen, who will earn $902,310, including incentives. Von Oelhoffen is a sixth-year defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. His three-year contract expires at the end of this season.

Third on the list for the upcoming season is Naeole, a former Kahuku all-state player who was a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1997.

Naeole will make $867,640, including incentives this season. His contract has three years to run.

Tanuvasa, a sixth-year former Mililani star who starts at defensive end for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, will make $743,700, with $205,700 in likely incentives.

Tanuvasa's six-year contract runs through 2003.

Elam, the Broncos' seventh-year place-kicker, will earn $525,000 with no incentives. His six-year contract runs through 2001.

The former Rainbows star is one of the top kickers in the NFL, and leads the league in points scored over the past six seasons (730). He also ranks second in field goals made (131) since 1994.

Pio Sagapolutele would have been the sixth highest paid Hawaii player if he had not been waived recently by the Carolina Panthers.

The ninth-year pro, who played for Pac-Five in high school, would have received a base salary of $425,000 if he had made the roster. His agents had also negotiated a bonus for making the roster.

But due to an elbow problem and the fact that Sagapolutele was likely to become a backup, the Panthers decided to release him.

He and recently waived Denver Broncos offensive lineman Leo Goeas (Kamehameha), who was to get a $400,000 base salary, received only training camp per diems: $800 a week before the exhibition season and $1,000 when the exhibitions began.

Former Kailua standout Joe Wong, a seventh-round draft pick by Miami, was to be paid $190,000 this year. But the offensive lineman suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 2.

If he remains with the team on injured reserve, he will receive payment for each game the Dolphins play.

But because of a "supersede" in his contract, common for low-round draft picks and free agents, he will be paid as though his minimum was $101,000.

Wong also received a $15,000 bonus before the injury.

Joe Tuipala, a 22-year-old Honolulu-born linebacker for the Detroit Lions, will be the lowest paid Hawaii player in 1999. He will get $177,500 in 1999.

Tuipala moved out of Hawaii as a child and played high school ball in California. He played college ball at San Diego State.

Nine of the 16 Hawaii players signed for bonuses, which are paid in full when the player signs. The highest - more than $3.5 million - was given to Naeole.

What Hawaii's NFL players make

				1999 Cash					1999 Salary Cap
Player				Bonus	Salary	Incentive	Total cash	Bonus	Total cap
Adrian Murrell, Cardinals	0	1,575,000	4,200	1,579,200	0	1,579,200
Kimo von Oelhoffen, Bengals	0	750,000		152,310	902,310		266,668	1,168,978
Chris Naeole, Saints		0	864,000		3,640	867,640		719,000	1,586,640
Ma‘a Tanuvasa, Broncos		0	538,000		205,700	743,700		462,262	1,205,962
Jason Elam, Broncos		0	525,000		0	525,000		270,000	795,000
Siupeli Malamala, Raiders	0	400,000		2,800	402,800		0	402,800
Esera Tuaolo, Panthers		0	400,000		0	400,000		0	400,000
Ink Aleaga, Saints		0	325,000		3,640	328,640		0	328,640
Olin Kreutz, Bears		0	250,000		8,640	258,640		136,666	395,306
Chris Fuamatu-Maafala, Steelers	0	250,000		4,480	254,480		15,667	270,147
Itula Mili, Seahawks		0	250,000		2,800	252,800		28,668	281,468
Kaipo McGuire, Colts		0	250,000		0	250,000		0	252,500
Joe Wong, Dolphins		15,000	175,000		0	190,000		5,000	180,000
Viliami Maumau, Broncos		0	175,000		5,700	180,700		0	180,700
Troy Bailey, Redskins		0	175,000		4,480	179,480		0	179,480
Joe Tuipala, Lions		2,500	175,000		0	177,500		1,250	176,250

Bonus figures for 1999 reflect cash paid to the player this season. Bonus figures for 1999 salary cap reflect prorated amount of the player's signing bonus when he signed his contract. Incentives reflect amount of money likely to be earned this season under terms of the player's contract.