There has been some progress in the no-show saga of Richard Seymour and the Oakland Raiders.
Richard Seymour is now listed on the Raiders web site as a member of their active roster, but he has not been assigned a number.
That is all of the progress to report in the no-show saga of Richard Seymour and the Oakland Raiders.
Seymour, you will recall with clenched teeth while muttering obscenities, was traded from the Patriots to the Raiders this weekend and has thus far refused to report to Alameda. There has been speculation, like this NFL.com report, that Seymour's absence is a ploy to get himself a lucrative contract extension. This is the final year of his current contract.
Consider that the Raiders may not be the only team Seymour is trying to shake down here. These are fairly uncharted waters for a player of Seymour's five-time Pro Bowl stature. If he refuses to report, Bill Williamson speculates on ESPN.com, the Raiders may be able to claw back that first-round 2011 pick from the Patriots. "If Seymour is not interested in joining Oakland under any terms," Williamson writes, "the deal could eventually be voided. In that case, Seymour would be sent back to New England and Oakland would keep the 2011 first-round pick it gave New England in the deal."
Might Seymour be working the Patriots for an additional parting gift before he consents to reporting to the Raiders? That would be an additional parting gift with many additional zeroes.
The delay may also be for personal reasons. Len Pasquarelli said last night on ESPN AllNight Radio, "(Seymour's) got a lot of logistical stuff to take care of in Boston, he's got to take his kids out of school, and perhaps enroll them in Oakland to that area. He's got to move his family. I'm led to believe most of the stuff is of a familial nature."
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And Pasquarelli summed up the situation perfectly. "Richard Seymour can be a pain in the butt sometimes. Apparently, he's being a pain right now for the Oakland Raiders."
And with each passing hour, the chances decrease that Seymour will be a pain in the butt Monday night for the San Diego Chargers.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who feels with conviction that a hangover is the only excusable reason for not showing up to work.
