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Rodgers denied visa, has contract terminated by Red Bulls

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Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

 

By DAVE MARTINEZ

After months of speculation and weeks of waiting, the Luke Rodgers visa situation has finally been resolved – and it’s not the outcome that the New York Red Bulls wanted. 

The Red Bulls announced Friday that the Englishman’s permit was denied indefinitely, and his contract has been terminated as a result in order to free the club of his international roster spot and salary and allow him to play for another team.

“After going through the entire immigration and appeals process, Luke's P-1 Visa application has unfortunately been denied by the U.S. government for now," the club wrote in a statement. "We have spoken with Luke about potential options and have mutually decided that it would be in all parties' best interests to terminate his current MLS contract so he could play elsewhere. However, we will also continue to track his progress this year while working with immigration officials with the goal that he could join the Red Bulls sometime in the future."

Rodgers' initial P-1 application was rejected, and an appeal of the ruling landed at the desk of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For Rodgers, this wasn’t the first time he struggled to acquire a work permit. Just last season, his initial application was rejected due to an extensive criminal record back in England. He was eventually granted a one-year permit, which he overstayed, throwing him into his current predicament. 

This time, he was not so lucky.

Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler denied that Rodgers’ criminal record was the reason for this particular rejection, but rather, a previously undisclosed issue that occurred just prior to his arrival stateside that put his application in jeopardy. 

For weeks, both coach Hans Backe and Soler have hinted that they have certain replacement options available to pursue in case the Rodgers situation did not pan out. Soler reiterated that on Friday. 

"We work on both (MLS and overseas options)," Soler said. "We have a continuous list of players in all positions that we look at and evaluate, and of course we have strikers as well. Some of them are (domestic), some of them are foreign as well. We have a little bit of space, in the cap we have space, in the number of players as well so we try all the time to try to develop the roster as much as we can." 

When asked whether New York would be active leading up to the April 15 transfer deadline, Soler said, "Not much, but it could be one or two players."

Though New York found its offensive touch through Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper against Colorado last weekend, there is no telling whether that will last, especially with Juan Agudelo ruled out for the next six weeks after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus.  

In Rodgers, the Red Bulls had a proven goal scoring threat that yielded results both individually and for the team as a whole. Through 20 regular season starts with the club, Rodgers scored nine goals and led the team to an impressive 9-4-7 record.  New York only earned a single victory without him all of last season.

What do you think of this development? Do you think New York be able to contend without Rodgers? 

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. For once, you and I agree on something. The reading comprehension of some of the people on this site is shocking.

    As for Rogers, he was a good piece for the RedBulls last year, and while I’m sure they would still love to have him, hes not essential.

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  2. Actually I didn’t “read that in the post above.” No, not really saw the picture and the headline. Sorry to let you down. Sometimes I don’t give %100 to these posts. My bad.

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  3. Sounds like it’s not the overstay, but something about his past that he failed to disclose the first time, last year. Even if it was non-criminal,even innocuous, the gummint doesn’t like it when you don’t answer truthfully and completely. The cover-up is sometimes more harshly punished than the incident.

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  4. Rodgers is a menace to society. He has no respect for his fellow brother. He deserves the self inflicted “punishments” brought to him. I suspect he is not too smart an individual.

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  5. There is more than the NYRB press release of a minor infraction. More than half of the 9-11 terrorists came in on their own Saudi passports.

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  6. yeah, interesting right?

    how do you mean provisionally? in my mind, any visa is provisional, with the exception of, say, a retirement visa. am i following you?

    i wonder how much the bulls can be considered responsible here. if they were advising him (regarding the reporting of criminal past) than they are a part of the issue. otherwise, it’s all on Rodgers. as for overstaying his visa, I have a hard time believing the bulls would encourage him to overstay. that one must fall on Rodgers shoulders i’m thinking.

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  7. Since Politicians have made a really big deal about immigration, and since 2003, very strict application of the existing law and changes in immigration policies have made foreigners visiting toe the line on overstaying visas, it is no wonder it was denied. He was extremely lucky to get work visa with criminal problems back home. Many celebrities, including a lot of rock musicians with drug arrests on their records have been denied visas. These policies were eased a bit for entertainers within the last few years (Sportsmen are considered entertainers under immigration visas) But if you are let in provisionally or on a temporary visa, what you do not want to happen is to overstay. This is now considered a “death warrant” for future visa application, especially if you were admitted provisionally or temporary.

    How the Red Bulls allowed this to happen, knowing the facts of the case, id pure negligence on their part.

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  8. You even read that in the post above.

    How can so many people read the post and comprehend nothing?

    It says he overstayed his visa. It also says this involves something that came up just prior coming over here. Might the two issues be connected? Yes, but not necessarily.

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  9. good player. too bad. over staying your visa alone is a much bigger deal than it used to be (pre-9/11). and not being forthright about your past compounds it all. dude wasn’t thinking it seems.

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  10. Is the overstay reason for real or an assumption that has turned into something it is not? RB FO AND Luke Rodgers would have really stupid to allow such a detail to slip past them especially when the goal for the team was the play-offs/MLS Cup.

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  11. From da Bulls:

    “When they do their back-tracking, it’s reported somewhere – not by the police, but somewhere else – and they say “Oh, you should’ve told us this.’ That’s approximately what the matter is. It was nothing criminal just something they think they should have known, and as they weren’t told they are making things more difficult.

    Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/soccerblog/lot_resolution_closer_luke_rodgers_NUZ6lISnO30IdCaERjMTjN#ixzz1qcpttefn

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  12. Wow. Bad news for RBNY. I wonder if the FO dropped the ball or if it was out of their hands. Hopefully Cooper continues his goalscoring form, but RBNY will miss Rodgers nonetheless. His buzzing around defenses really opened up the space Henry loves to play in.

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  13. I think this is on Luke.

    Maybe after QPR get relegated Joey Barton will terminate his contract and they can bring him in. No problem there I can foresee.

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  14. As someone who’s not familiar with the US visa process, I don’t understand how he could have gotten this last year and not had it renewed this year — he hasn’t been involved in any court cases in that time, has he? Is it a different visa this time around? An explanation from anyone with more familiarity would be much appreciated.

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  15. Shocking. Not too worried as a RBNY fan, Cooper can do the job. I hope they pursue a good substitute striker, not a starter. We can’t take another major change. I like having a quiet hard working player. No more self-centered players (not that Rodgers was, I’m saying don’t bring one in!).

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  16. As a DC United fan I am not sorry to see him go. I hope Agudelo gets more playing time once he heals from his knee injury.

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