Shaun Rogers must have an exit strategy. Of that there is no doubt. No player in today's modern era turns away from a $6 million roster bonus without a reasonable assurance another team is ready and waiting to pay him that money. So Rogers — probably through his agent — has a place to land. Which is why he has let it be known that he prefers the Browns not pay the bonus so he can be released and be a free agent (according to a report from NFL.com and Adam Schefter, a reporter whose inside information is never incorrect).

But … it did not need to come to this, and the fact that it did falls squarely on the shoulders of new coach Eric Mangini.

People criticized me and wondered why I wrote so much about the way Mangini handled people. What does it matter if you win, folks wrote. It's a fair question. But my answer is simple: It always matters how you treat people. And when you are the lead guy in an environment where a team is built, how you treat people is vital. Look at how LeBron James treats people; his teammates love playing with him. Look at Mike Brown. Most great coaches have players who give extra because they respect the coach so much. The Browns hire a guy who immediately starts taking down murals of Hall of Famers and painting walls and making plans for renovations while people are laid off and the guys he needs most, his players, are ignored at banquets.

It matters.

Mangini can put on the happy face all he wants at his news conferences and say he's confident with the kind of guy he is. But not reaching out to players — especially the best players — does little to build camaraderie. Mangini instead has chosen to spend a lot of time in his office with the door closed. I'm sure he's doing a lot of football stuff, but he's also done a lot of non-football stuff. And he's obviously made little or no effort to contact his players, especially his key players, if they have not passed through the building.

In Baltimore (gosh it's getting old using Baltimore as a reference) John Harbaugh's first move was to call each and every player and explain to them his strategy and thinking. That came from owner Steve Biscotti, who told him it was important for the new coach to earn his players' respect immediately. A wise man once listened to an new executive address his employees; in the address Bob Exec said how Person A or Person B was pleasing to him. The wise man said Bob Exec had it backwards. In a new job, they are not pleasing to you, you are pleasing to them. For the coach to walk right past Rogers, within a few feet of each other, at the Cleveland Sports Awards banquet … well that's unnecessary. And when the coach says he didn't see Rogers … well that's a hard one to swallow.

There is one chance for a first impression. Mangini's has come and gone.

Now, you can say that Rogers has a contract and the Browns should hold him to that contract and if he doesn't like that, well that's too bad. You'd be right. The Browns have that option, and Rogers' job would be to live up to the contract in the most professional way possible. It's also very possible Rogers just wants out. Mangini and Rogers could have shared espressos at the local Starbucks and he still might want out.

But the bottom line is this puts the Browns in a bad spot. Because if Rogers is released, then it's anyone's guess who next starts making noise publicly to get out. And if he's not released, then Rogers very well could revert to the Shaun Rogers of Detroit days — because he won't want to be here.

And clearly the lack of contact played a role in this situation getting to where it is. And that's unnecessary.

The situation did not have to come to this. Not even close to this. Because treating people the right way matters. And while building a team means being tough and challenging at times, it also means being smart enough to reach out and win over the people you need most.

Emily Litella …

If Rogers comes out and says this was all a misunderstanding … well … never mind.

Newspaper layoffs …

My previous post brought quite a few comments, and I was intrigued. Perhaps I'm not the only one who has a problem with a company filing bankruptcy and asking for millions to be set aside for bonuses if people's jobs are eliminated. I find that immoral.

Alan, you said I could write the bankruptcy judge, and I will do so. Any clues how to get his name? Can you get his name (he wrote, figuring Alan spends most of his life on the internet anyway)?

Elizabeth, I love your idea for a Business Ethics Secretary. Love it. The sad thing is that in today's world using the words Business and Ethics together almost sound like an oxymoron.

And Alan, I'm touched that Roger Ebert's review was so close to mine. Geez Alan … what else do you do all day but read the internet?

A sad moment …

I shall address this more as time goes on, but the past couple days have been tough. Adriana Lima has indeed eloped with Marko Jaric. Once again, the dumpy, dopey Irish guys of the world are left wondering what we did wrong, and why she seems to be saying in this picture: "Hey all you dumpy, dopey Irish guys out there … eat your heart out!"

This week the Journal Register Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It interested me because the Journal Register Co. is a newspaper company that owns papers in suburban Cleveland, near Willoughby and Lorain. I fervently hope that none of the folks who work there lose jobs because of this.

But it's worrying.

Especially because the end of a story from philly.com on this filing included this tidbit of information:

"Under a proposal filed as part of the bankruptcy case, the company has asked for permission to pay as much as $1.7 million in bonuses to 30 top officers and key employees, should the Journal Register meet certain reorganization goals, including closing more papers and eliminating more employees. Those officers have already been paid $450,000 for a previous round of cuts, according to court papers."

I don't get it. I just don't get it. We reward folks with bonuses for eliminating jobs. This has to be symbolic if the warped, messed-up thinking in this nation that has led to this economic mess. While the higher-ups get their bonuses and protect their Merdedez and boat, the people who work every day to help make the company what it is lose their jobs. And we reward these people?

These bonuses average out to $56,000 per person, so it's not like the outrageous money going to the Wall Street idiots who have cost us our 401-Ks, but it is warped. That $56,000 could take care of one employee for a year. I mean, is it so outrageous to expect the company to use that $1.7 million to … well … keep the company afloat. To keep jobs. To help families keep their kids fed. To help them keep their health care. Instead of using this money as incentive to eliminate jobs, why not use to … well … EMPLOY people.

This seems mind-boggling, and quite frankly to me it's nearly immoral.

I'm stupid, but I'm not stupid enough to think this is the first time this ever happened. But rewarding people for eliminating jobs has to be the Gordon Geckoest, Gordon-Gecko-greed-is-good policy our businesses have. How can these people look themselves in the mirror?

I wonder how long the average folks in this country will put up with this garbage. Is it any wonder people are disgusted with the way the country and its businesses are run. I hope every one of these idiots who takes a dollar for eliminating someone's job winds up eating soggy Cheerios every morning the rest of their life.