By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Keith Langford wished to share his view on the evolving crisis centered on AEK struggling to meet financial obligations towards players. The experienced guard, a member of the Greek club since 2019, went on Twitter to voice his opinion on teams facing similar challenging situations.
“I am prepared to sign,” he said referring to accepting terms presented by AEK in the effort to obtain a license for the next season of Greece’s Basket League, “This delay wasn’t about money. I’ve made multi-millions in my career. This has been about principle.”
“Secondly, my former teammates deserve the chance to earn the next year of their contracts and play at a competitive level to display their talents,” he wrote extending the impact into the future, “It’s more important for AEK to have the opportunity to do the right thing for the next group of foreigners that need the chance to display themselves in Europe. I encourage AEK and many other clubs like it struggling logistically to not budget using money they don’t have.”
Other players have publicly discussed overdue salaries stretching back several months. Besides Langford, Matt Lojeski and Yanick Moreira have yet to reach a settlement agreement.
“Use direct lines of communication about the situation of your club, and give players the freedom to make their own decisions regarding those conditions,” he added, “This will result in a much better working environment for both parties and a more consistent result competitively.”
“Thirdly, I recognize that the opportunity for an up and coming player to play on one of the best stages Greece has to offer is more important than my personal feelings regarding the things said about me within AEK and the poor business model that followed.”