Unless you've spent the last five days hiding from your new employer, you know that the Raiders acquired Richard Seymour in a trade and Seymour is refusing to report to the Raiders.
Now comes a report from ProFootballTalk.com that Seymour still hasn't even left Massachusetts, and remains some 3,000 miles away from Raider headquarters in Alameda.
That dispatch from ProFootballTalk.com also notes that if Seymour's absence continues through the weekend, he'll start getting docked game checks of more than two-hundred grand per week.
Dude must really love his fluffernutter sandwiches or something.
A separate report, also on ProFootballTalk.com, points out that a prolonged no-show on Seymour's part would cost him just 25 percent of this year's portion of his signing bonus. Seymour's non-game check financial exposure for holding out all year is only $333,000.
Richard Seymour probably polishes his Fluevogs with that kind of money. The Raider-loathing national sports media would have you believe that Seymour's no-show is related to some "penthouse to the outhouse" sentiment, that he's unwilling to play for a franchise that is commonly projected to win fewer games than the Patriots this season. But reading between the lines of Raider head coach Tom Cable's carefully-worded non-statements tells a different story.
When asked about Seymour's continued absence, Cable told NFL.com, "I don't want to comment about anything of that until we have something that's done and concrete," Cable said.
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"Something that's done and concrete"? The trade, of course, is already done and concrete. What Cable just acknowledged there is that the Raiders are trying to make a contract extension for Seymour "done and concrete."
Jason La Canfora spills more beans on an NFL Network report, saying, "I talked to some people close to (Seymour) who say, 'There really is no mystery as to why he hasn't reported yet. He would like a new deal, a long-term deal with some security.' And the Raiders are aware of that as well, and the sides are trying to work towards that."
See that? This is a money issue. Seymour has no reservations about donning the silver and black, he just wants some additional green.
So do expect Richard Seymour to end this AWOL nonsense of his once a little more of Al Davis' checking account gets thrown his way. But as far as Monday night against the Chargers, Seymour will probably be watching on ESPN just like most Raiders fans.
Except he'll be sitting and watching from Massachusetts.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who'd be happy to clean the shoe polish off Richard Seymour's $100 bills because they're probably still usable.
