Minnesota Judge Gary Larson is expected to release a ruling that is critical to at least three NFL players, including Minnesota Vikings Pat Williams and Kevin Williams and New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith.
All of the three are facing the same four-game suspension after testing positive for the same banned diuretic found in the over-the-counter weight-loss supplement StarCaps before the 2008 season. Smith actually has stopped making efforts to fight the suspension, but because the two Vikings players are still attempting to avoid the suspension with the support of Minnesota labor laws, his suspension has not been carried out as the league has to wait until the Williamses’ case is decided.
Therefore, after long-time debate, Larson’s ruling will finally lead things to a conclusion, not the end actually, as the losing side is expected to appeal to the Minnesota court of appeals for further arbitration. But at least, we can expect to know whether Smith could put on his Saints jersey to play at the beginning of regular season or four games later.
Showing posts with label the Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Saints. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
DE Grant will be released by Saints after eight seasons
According the New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, the team will make an announcement on Thursday about releasing eight-year veteran defensive end Charles Grant, who was a starter most of the last season and has spent all his eight season only with the Saints.
At age 31, Grant was released along with reserve offensive lineman Jamar Nesbit and linebacker Mark Simoneau. All of the three are over 30 years old- Nesbit is 34 and Simoneau is 33 and the latter has missed the past two seasons because of injuries.
Putting on Saints jersey as one of the team’s two first-round picks in 2002, Grant has been the eighth on the Saints’ career sack list with 47 and started 106 games. He also started all the 16 regular-season games in 2009 with 53 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks but was placed on injured reserve with torn triceps in the postseason. That was the second straight season that Grant ended on injured reserve for a torn triceps and a much more important one than last as the Saints advanced and won their first Super Bowl.
And injury could be just one of the reasons for the Saints to release the veteran. Money could be another one. Grant would have been due about $4 million in base salary for the 2010 season. Plus he is also due a four-game suspension that he received in 2008 for testing positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide. The suspension has not yet been enforced because of an appeal involving another two players of the Minnesota Vikings. Taking off Saints jersey, thus Grant will join the free-agent market but it’s really hard to predict what kind of offers he could receive.
At age 31, Grant was released along with reserve offensive lineman Jamar Nesbit and linebacker Mark Simoneau. All of the three are over 30 years old- Nesbit is 34 and Simoneau is 33 and the latter has missed the past two seasons because of injuries.
Putting on Saints jersey as one of the team’s two first-round picks in 2002, Grant has been the eighth on the Saints’ career sack list with 47 and started 106 games. He also started all the 16 regular-season games in 2009 with 53 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks but was placed on injured reserve with torn triceps in the postseason. That was the second straight season that Grant ended on injured reserve for a torn triceps and a much more important one than last as the Saints advanced and won their first Super Bowl.
And injury could be just one of the reasons for the Saints to release the veteran. Money could be another one. Grant would have been due about $4 million in base salary for the 2010 season. Plus he is also due a four-game suspension that he received in 2008 for testing positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide. The suspension has not yet been enforced because of an appeal involving another two players of the Minnesota Vikings. Taking off Saints jersey, thus Grant will join the free-agent market but it’s really hard to predict what kind of offers he could receive.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Saints offered tender for guard Evans
Guard Jahri Evans became the fifteenth restricted free agent who received tender offer from the New Orleans Saints, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Thus the guard is no longer on the missing list of players the Saints have not extended qualifying tenders to.
Evans was offered a one-year deal for $3.168 million, a 10 percent raise over his salary from last season. With such a tender, any team who wants to sign Evans away will have to offer the Saints a first- and third-round draft pick as compensation. If no team would like to pay that much, the Saints would be glad to have chance to negotiate with Evans on a long-term contract.
Running back Mike Bell received a tender offer on the same day, but seems less important to the Saints as the club offered him the lowest-level tender for $1.176 million. Well, he still has chance to choose which team’s NFL jerseys to wear for next season since he is still a restricted free agent.
Evans was offered a one-year deal for $3.168 million, a 10 percent raise over his salary from last season. With such a tender, any team who wants to sign Evans away will have to offer the Saints a first- and third-round draft pick as compensation. If no team would like to pay that much, the Saints would be glad to have chance to negotiate with Evans on a long-term contract.
Running back Mike Bell received a tender offer on the same day, but seems less important to the Saints as the club offered him the lowest-level tender for $1.176 million. Well, he still has chance to choose which team’s NFL jerseys to wear for next season since he is still a restricted free agent.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Saints WR Colston had rough beginning of NFL career
When the New Orleans Saints picked wide receiver Marques Colston as the 252nd pick of the seventh draft round in 2006, no one were having high expectation on the supplemental choice the Saints had been awarded for losing a relatively inconsequential player in free agency the previous season. There were hard times before Colston became a real star.
Colston was out of shape, exhibiting poor study habits and carried an utterly silent demeanor. He was taken as a bubble player and given the No. 12 Saints jersey and that number was typically reserved for quarterbacks. Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson made it clear to Colston that he did not expect him to be there for long. And Colston’s performance in his first minicamp with the Saints was awful- he was so out of shape that it would take him five plays to get back to the line of scrimmage.
Feeling terrible coming out of the minicamp with a continuous lathering of criticism from Johnson lingering in mind, Colston spent two months whipping both his mind and body into shape. When he came back for training camp, he was totally different.
“About midway through training camp, you realized you had something in this guy,” Drew Brees said. “He started to play every receiver position. As guys got hurt, he was kind of the mainstay. He was Mr. Reliable. He was kind of the go-to guy.”
Colston continued to give off more lights and when his rookie season ended, he had had 70 catches, 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns, making the Saints completely forget the pain of losing Donte’ Stallworth, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles with his starting job being given to Colston during preseason. Thus the No. 12 wide receiver kept his starting job and gradually grew into the star player we are to see in this Sunday’s Super Bowl game.
Colston was out of shape, exhibiting poor study habits and carried an utterly silent demeanor. He was taken as a bubble player and given the No. 12 Saints jersey and that number was typically reserved for quarterbacks. Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson made it clear to Colston that he did not expect him to be there for long. And Colston’s performance in his first minicamp with the Saints was awful- he was so out of shape that it would take him five plays to get back to the line of scrimmage.
Feeling terrible coming out of the minicamp with a continuous lathering of criticism from Johnson lingering in mind, Colston spent two months whipping both his mind and body into shape. When he came back for training camp, he was totally different.
“About midway through training camp, you realized you had something in this guy,” Drew Brees said. “He started to play every receiver position. As guys got hurt, he was kind of the mainstay. He was Mr. Reliable. He was kind of the go-to guy.”
Colston continued to give off more lights and when his rookie season ended, he had had 70 catches, 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns, making the Saints completely forget the pain of losing Donte’ Stallworth, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles with his starting job being given to Colston during preseason. Thus the No. 12 wide receiver kept his starting job and gradually grew into the star player we are to see in this Sunday’s Super Bowl game.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Lawmakers approved final step to keep Saints in New Orleans
Louisiana lawmakers approved Friday a lease arrangement as the final step of a financial deal to keep the Saints in New Orleans.
The lease arrangement will have the state renting downtown New Orleans office space from team owner Tom Benson as a measure to funnel money to the team for direct cash subsidies from the government is limited.
Thus, with a 10-2 vote of senators and a 17-7 vote of House members agreeing to the lease, the deal was finalized between Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration and the NFL team to keep the Saints in Louisiana through 2025.
The lease arrangement will have the state renting downtown New Orleans office space from team owner Tom Benson as a measure to funnel money to the team for direct cash subsidies from the government is limited.
Thus, with a 10-2 vote of senators and a 17-7 vote of House members agreeing to the lease, the deal was finalized between Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration and the NFL team to keep the Saints in Louisiana through 2025.
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