Dickerson Can Afford to Sit, Agent Says

Running back Eric Dickerson can afford to miss $1.45 million in paychecks during the upcoming National Football League season, his agent says.

Dickerson has been engaged in a running feud with the Indianapolis Colts since last winter.

The unhappy star owns a $2-million home and a Ferrari in Malibu, and his agent, Daryl Henry, says Dickerson has no money worries.

Despite the home and expensive car, Dickerson can be downright tight with a buck, Henry says, and can live quite well without money from the Colts this season.

At one point Dickerson said he was tired of football and wanted to retire. He later said he wanted to be traded.

But Dickerson, who landed with the Colts after an unhappy stay with the Rams, isn’t marketable, says Colts owner Robert Irsay.

“We talked to all the owners,” he told the Indianapolis News. “They said, ‘No, no, no, we don’t want the problems.’ ”

If the Colts don’t trade him, the agent said, Dickerson won’t play under his current contract.

Irsay has refused to renegotiate Dickerson’s contract, which runs through the upcoming season.

Henry declined to name a dollar amount that would satisfy Dickerson, but said it would take a contract “putting Eric in the top five in the league, including quarterbacks.”

That would take a deal worth more than $2 million a year.

Coach Ron Meyer said he planned on finding Dickerson in camp.

“We expect him to fulfill his contract. If he decides he doesn’t want to do that, we’ll have to go on without him.”

However, the Colts have contingency plans, including the use of Albert Bentley and Ivy Joe Hunter in a two-back set.

“We expect Eric here,” Meyer said, “but if circumstances change, the prudent thing is to be prepared to adjust quickly.”