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Sports have produced some memorable contract stories: orange Jell-O requested in negotiations, a football player’s film-study addendum, a basketball star’s freedom to play pickup games, and a baseball salary scheduled to keep arriving decades later. But they are not all “clauses” in the same sense. Some were reported requests or personal benefits, one was a separate conduct agreement, and others changed restrictions, incentives or payment timing.
Here are 10 well-documented examples, with the distinction that makes each story accurate. They are historical anecdotes, not evidence that unusual terms are common in professional sports.
What counts as a “crazy contract clause”?
Sports headlines often use “clause” as shorthand for any unusual deal term. The stories below cover several different categories: a request made in negotiations, negotiated personal support, a short-lived addendum, a separate security agreement, contract protections, a restriction, an offer to skip a season, and deferred salary. That distinction matters: a colorful request or side agreement should not be presented as a verified term in a signed player contract.
Benefits, requests and side agreements
1. Charlie Kerfeld’s 37 cases of orange Jell-O (MLB, 1987)
Houston reliever Charlie Kerfeld sought 37 cases of orange Jell-O during contract negotiations, matching his uniform number, according to MLB.com’s 2023 retrospective. Kerfeld said he wanted it for a prank involving Astros reliever Larry Andersen and an unsuspecting coach or reporter. The account describes a request; it does not establish that the Jell-O appeared in the signed contract.
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2. The Glaus family’s equestrian support (MLB)
When Troy Glaus joined Arizona, his deal reportedly provided $75,000 per year for equestrian training and lessons for his wife, Ann. After he was traded to Toronto, the Blue Jays reportedly provided $325,000 annually to maintain her Arizona stable, according to MLB.com. These were negotiated benefits described in a retrospective account, not necessarily clauses in the playing contract itself.
3. Dez Bryant’s “Dez Rules” security agreement (NFL, 2011)
Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant reportedly had a separate security agreement that set rules for conduct and protection. The Guardian’s account lists a security detail, transportation, counselling, alcohol restrictions, a curfew and surveillance cameras; security costs were deducted from Bryant’s salary. Crucially, The Guardian describes this as a separate agreement, not an official change to his player contract.
Restrictions and unusual contract protections
4. Kyler Murray’s four-hour film-study addendum (NFL, 2022)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s 2022 extension included an addendum requiring four hours of independent film study each week, according to The Guardian’s 2025 report. The provision included a planned tablet tracker and language about possible termination. Arizona removed the addendum after it became public, so it was a short-lived part of the deal—not an ongoing requirement.
5. Rick Mirer’s “end of the world” guarantee (NFL, 1993)
Reporting on quarterback Rick Mirer’s contract says agents Don Yee and Marvin Demoff included wording that the agreement would “survive and remain effective from the date of execution of this contract up to and including the end of the world.” The Guardian reproduces the phrase in its account of unusual NFL contract provisions. ESPN reports that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue initially disallowed the contract and that a later NFLPA agreement barred that phrasing. The signed contract itself is not reproduced in the reporting cited here.
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6. Michael Jordan’s “Love of the Game” provision (NBA, 1988)
The Chicago Bulls’ 1988 agreement with Michael Jordan removed restrictions on his competitive basketball activity outside official team events, according to ESPN’s account. The provision mattered because playing outside team activities could otherwise put contractual protection at risk. It is an unusual protection for off-team play, rather than a quirky personal perk.
7. Stefan Schwarz’s ban on a spaceflight (Sunderland, 1999)
Sunderland required midfielder Stefan Schwarz to agree not to join a planned commercial spacecraft trip during his four-year deal, ESPN reports. The concern was the possibility of injury and the resulting insurance complications. The restriction applied to that proposed trip, not to space travel as a general category; see ESPN’s retrospective.
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Incentives and payment timing
8. Diana Taurasi’s offer to sit out the WNBA season (2015)
UMMC Yekaterinburg reportedly offered Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi additional compensation to skip the 2015 WNBA season. ESPN reported an offer of $200,000, potentially more, and compared it with Taurasi’s WNBA earning ceiling that season. This was a reported offer tied to sitting out, not a standard clause in her WNBA contract; the figure and context come from ESPN’s 2017 report.
9. Bobby Bonilla’s salary payments through 2035 (MLB)
The New York Mets deferred $5.9 million owed to Bobby Bonilla in 2000 until 2011, at 8% interest, with annual installments scheduled through 2035, according to The Guardian’s 2015 account. This is a salary deferral arrangement: the striking feature is the timing and long payment tail, not a behavioral rule imposed on the player.
Why the stories need careful labels
- A request is not proof of a signed term. The Jell-O story is reported as Kerfeld’s negotiation request.
- A benefit is not automatically a player-contract clause. The Glaus equestrian support was a negotiated benefit; the account does not establish the precise legal form.
- A side agreement is not necessarily an amendment. The Guardian characterizes Bryant’s security rules as separate from his official player contract.
- An anecdote does not establish a trend. The cited retrospective reports do not provide a prevalence statistic for unusual sports contract terms.
The examples come from retrospective reporting by MLB.com, ESPN and The Guardian, rather than a systematic collection of signed contracts. The reported details make for vivid stories, but do not by themselves establish legal enforceability or show how common comparable terms are.
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