By canceling their mandatory minicamp, the 49ers avoided a potentially awkward moment with receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Even if the team had excused Aiyuk, he could have insisted on attending and practicing. The 49ers would have had to decide whether to let him do it, or whether to release him.
Instead, by having no reason for Aiyuk to show up for the mandatory minicamp, the 49ers have preserved the ability to squat on Aiyuk's contract. Which is what they have been doing, and what they apparently plan to keep doing.
Aiyuk has posted a message to his current team on Instagram.
"Stop running from the belt," Aiyuk said in the video. "The belt coming. You scared. They scared. The truth is they scared. They know how I get. They gonna say, â??Oh, yeah, B.A. did this, B.A. did that.' You know that shit â?? â??Allegedly. Allegedly.' But what they not gonna say is â??B.A. suck at football,' because they know how I get.
"And they running from that belt that's on the way. It's inevitable. It's coming. Stop running."
The 49ers, frankly, are holding onto Aiyuk's rights because...