Yeah, it's always fun to get your bonus number from your employer and actually see only half of it in your bank account on deposit day.

This is really bizarre then. Maybe Prince was taking advice from his pop.

I have a feeling Prince's bonus check was the first money he earned in his life.

This is really bizarre then. Maybe Prince was taking advice from his pop.

Oh I don't know...an enterprising Casino could make Cecil At The Buffet a floor show. I'd rather see that than Celine Dion.

Taxes aren't automatically withheld from the bonus check? Is it considered 1099 income?

Of course, if the income tax were paid for him, that would be taxable as well.

I'll bet that Boras got his piece of the signing bonus right up front.

So, now it was thrown into our lap at the JS. Because the document was nearly three years old, the possibility existed that matter had been resolved. If it had, I knew Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, would know about it, so I called him.

Boras let it be known in no uncertain terms that he thought I had no business poking into the situation. He said he didn't comment on the personal finances of his clients, which I understood. But he also made inferences during our conversation that made it seem as if the matter was being addressed. Still, he made it clear it could compromise my working relationship with Fielder if I pursued the matter -- a proposition I didn't take lightly.

With no on-the-record quotes, however, a reporter is left to his own devices and instincts. As I expected, Fielder said he would not comment on the situation.

So, I was left to try to figure out the situation. The IRS document obviously proves there was an issue at one time, and could still be. Another reporter on the sports staff, Don Walker, looked into the online court records in Florida and saw there was no record that the matter had been resolved.
...
Manager Ned Yost later echoed Boras' comments that newspapers have no business reporting on the personal financial matters of a player. And, to a certain point, I agree.

Here's where we draw a distinction in the newspaper business, however. When a player gets involved in matters of legal consequences, be it fights in a bar, drugs, or matters with police, it crosses over the line into public territory.

Not paying IRS taxes is definitely a legal matter, with legal consequences. If you don't believe me, ask actor Wesley Snipes. I don't think Fielder is going to jail - in fact, I believe this matter is in the process of being resolved, with some link to his father - but it's still a legal issue. And the IRS document the Detroit News produced is a matter of public record.

Because the lien was filed nearly three years ago, an attempt was made by the Journal Sentinel to determine if it had been paid off. But Orange County (Fla.) online court records indicated the lien had not been satisfied. The lien was on property listed to Fielder in Melbourne, Fla.
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"I'm not going to comment on a player's personal finances," said Boras, who made it clear he didn't think it was a newspaper's business to report on such matters. Boras did say that those looking into the matter should concentrate on the date the lien was filed.

"They're about 1 ½ years behind on the real story," Boras said.

The implication was that the lien has been or is being addressed, though Boras declined to reveal any details. Another person familiar with the situation indicated Fielder was in no danger of being prosecuted by the IRS.

One baseball source familiar with the agent's method of operation said Boras would never allow one of his clients, especially a high-profile player such as Fielder, to be in non-compliance with the IRS.
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If Prince Fielder needed money to satisfy the IRS, he certainly could have addressed the situation earlier this season, when the Brewers proposed a multi-year contract extension that he and Boras turned down. The offer was believed to be for five years and approximately $60 million, but Boras apparently thought it was below market value and is prepared to go year-to-year with Fielder's salary.