RENTON, Wash. — Marshawn Lynch’s holdout is over, ending one distraction so far for the Super Bowl champions.
RENTON, Wash. — Marshawn Lynch’s holdout is over, ending one distraction so far for the Super Bowl champions.
Lynch arrived at the Seattle Seahawks practice facility on Thursday afternoon following the team’s morning practice. The team confirmed Lynch had reported for camp, ending a holdout that spanned a week.
Lynch was caught by television cameras talking on his phone out near the Seahawks practice fields wearing a hooded “Beast Mode” sweatshirt and knit cap on an 85 degree day. He was later hanging out in the lobby of the facility.
ESPN reported earlier Thursday that Lynch was expected to end his holdout. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said after practice that he did not know if Lynch was on the verge of reporting.
“Hopefully he’s here,” quarterback Russell Wilson said after practice. “He’s such a good football player we would love to have him here and he’s done a tremendous job for us since I’ve been here. I know that. He’s had some unbelievable runs for us.”
Lynch must still pass his physical and be added to the active roster. Seattle’s roster is currently at the 90-man limit.
Lynch missed the first week of training camp unhappy with his contract status. He is scheduled to make up to $5.5 million this season in base pay and roster bonuses. It’s the third year of a four-year deal Lynch signed before the 2012 season.
Seattle made clear on the first day of training camp that it had a plan in place before Lynch signed his extension and it was not inclined to stray from those plans.
“We’ve had a substantial plan working for us for years now and Marshawn was a big part of this plan,” Carroll said on the opening day of camp. “Just a couple of years back we made a big statement and made a big effort for him and we wish that he was with us now.”
The dispute was building throughout the offseason with Lynch staying away from organized team activities and rumors that he would skip June’s mandatory minicamp in protest of his contract structure.
Lynch showed up for the minicamp in June to avoid a hefty fine. But he finally decided to make a stand with the start of training camp. He could be fined by the team $30,000 per day for each day of camp missed, plus a percentage of his prorated signing bonus.
New stadium system to measure stats
NEW YORK — NFL players will wear transmitters inside their shoulder pads this season to help measure stats such as how far they ran during a game.
The league said Thursday that it will install real-time location systems in 17 stadiums. The receivers located throughout the venue will collect data including position, speed and distance that will be compiled into a database. Coaches, broadcasters and fans will have access to these “next-generation” stats during the game.
The Zebra Technologies systems will be installed in Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, New England, New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington. All but two of those stadiums are hosting Thursday night games.
Trump advances in Bills sale process
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A person familiar with the Buffalo Bills’ sale selection process told The Associated Press that Donald Trump has been chosen to advance to the next round of bidding.
The person said Trump was informed Thursday by Morgan Stanley, the banking firm overseeing the sale for late owner Ralph Wilson’s estate. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sale is private.
The decision comes after prospective groups submitted nonbinding bids on Tuesday. It’s unclear which other bidders have been chosen to advance.
By wire sources