Heyward-Bey Hamstrung in Raider Minicamp
By JOE KUKURA
Updated 6:30 PM PST, Thu, Jun 4, 2009
If Darrius Heyward-Bey wants an opportunity to shut his critics up, he's going to have to wait a little longer for it. Heyward-Bey is being held out of this week's minicamp with a sore hamstring.
"I'm just trying to make sure I'm 100 percent," Heyward-Bey told David White of the Chronicle. "I want to make sure it's all taken care of before I get back on the field."
Look at the bright side, Raider fans. He's still going to play sooner than the also-injured Michael Crabtree!
Heyward-Bey insists he'll be back on the field in a week. Considering that the Chargers game is not until Monday, September 14, that timeline isn't going to make Raider Nation too nervous. A training camp holdout would be a far bigger worry than missing a week's worth of minicamp practices.
It may even be a personal insurance policy for Heyward-Bey. The young man hasn't signed a contract yet, and could destroy his own long-term value if he were to further damage the hammy. DHB might be taking a smart course in being carefully risk-averse with his own body until he's got a signed contract and, more importantly, a booming signing bonus in his bank account.
The Raiders' second-round pick Michael Mitchell is not attending the minicamp, because of Ohio University has not yet held it's graduation ceremony and Mitchell is still technically a student. An NFL rule prevents enrolled students from joining their teams prior to commencement ceremonies, so Mitchell will also be "hamstrung" until June 13.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who is obviously not above using the "hamstrung" joke twice in one article.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Jun 4, 2009 6:12 PM PST
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