Richard Seymour has yet to report to the Raiders after Sunday's trade sent the three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman from New England to Oakland for the Raiders' first-round pick in 2011. Pro Football Talk is reporting that Seymour, entering the last year of a contract that pays him a reported $3.7 million, is upset with the Patriots not simply for trading him to the Raiders, but because he expected New England to re-sign him to a lucrative deal. Instead, he was shipped to the West Coast. Source: Sacramento Bee
So that is why he is not reporting. He wants that deal from the Raiders. Patriots not only screwed over Seymour, but it also sounds like they screwed over the Raiders.
If Seymour doesn;t report, he doesn't pass the physical and the Patriots will be stuck with him... It's probably best for the Raiders if he doesn't show up...
I'm pretty sure the league steps in that case and puts some sort of pressure on Seymour as far as his free agency goes or people just wouldn't show up every time there was a trade they were unhappy with Thats not fowl, its business
No way they promised him or Wilfork anything. I have a feeling his idea of lucrative was never on the same page with what the Pats thought he was worth. If you are going to play for the Pats, you have to accept you will be paid less than the going rate. Look at Brady, I think he makes less than Cassel, and has never or will be the highest paid QB in the NFL. You can't have a balanced team, if you are shelling out huge paychecks to a few. That's why we are staying away from the #1 picks in the draft.
Not sure if a precedent has been set for something like this but if he's not reporting than the NFL would have to step in and decide whose property he is. The Pats obviously say the Raiders, the Raiders obviously say the Pats...
The league would probably kiss the pats asses and lick their balls, but as far as I'm concerned if he doesn't show to even take the physical then the patriots didn't provide their end of the product. Not showing to take the physical is the same as not passing it if the deal was contingent on him passing a physical. Deal off if he doesn't show.
so nobody else thinks players would just do this all the time then? I thought I read that the league at some point would tell Seymour he has 5 days to report or he would lose his eligibility to be a free agent next season, but I could be wrong. I think Sheriff Goodell will have something to say about this.
Most players would throw away their careers with moves like this. We'll see with Seymour. The Raiders have to submit that 5 day junk to the league, it's not somethign automatic, but if they do they lose him for the rest of the year, so why do it.
He definitely loses his eligibility for free agency if he doesn't show...that's a given. If he thinks he can report, play the season and leave, he's got to deal with the "Tag" if the Raiders opt to do that. Which I imagine they would after spending a first round pick on him...
Can he report then hold out until week 6, leaving room for a potential suspension to play the 6 games required for a full season? And if the Raiders try to tag him he could threaten to do it again.
