Seahawks News/notes

[Ego74]

Troubled receiver’s days in Seattle appear to be over

MIKE SANDO; The News Tribune
Last updated: June 2nd, 2005 11:55 AM
KIRKLAND – Koren Robinson admitted in court papers to being legally drunk in the early-morning hours of May 6, less than a week after he publicly swore off alcohol.

But the Seattle Seahawks receiver disputed DUI and reckless-driving charges by claiming he consumed alcohol after driving and before submitting to a blood-alcohol test, court records show.

Robinson, charged May 12 in Kirkland Municipal Court, pleaded not guilty during arraignment Tuesday. A pretrial hearing is set for July 18.

Robinson’s prominent Bellevue-based attorney, Jon Scott Fox, helped Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens avoid a DUI conviction two years ago. The Web site for Washington Law & Politics magazine ranks Fox among the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state.

And yet there might be nothing a lawyer can do to secure Robinson’s continued employment with the Seahawks.

According to sources, the team has cleaned out Robinson’s locker and removed its nameplate.

This followed an offseason in which new team president Tim Ruskell prepared for life after Robinson by stocking up on experienced receivers.

“We are extremely disappointed and concerned with Koren’s situation,” the team said in a statement. “We have established several programs, both league- and team-sponsored, to support and help him.

“We will continue to encourage him to use this support network and believe he should be held accountable for his actions.”

The team had grown weary of Robinson’s off-field troubles well before this latest incident.

Robinson served a four-game NFL suspension for substance abuse last season, and he later skipped practice one day before the regular-season finale.

After benching Robinson for that game, coach Mike Holmgren allowed his former No. 1 draft choice to return for the playoffs – but only after Robinson promised to seek professional help immediately following the season.

Robinson emerged from alcohol-related treatment in time to attend the team’s postdraft minicamp, at which time he said alcohol was no longer part of his life.

But in court papers, Fox said Robinson’s blood-alcohol content reached or exceeded .10 percent within two hours of driving on May 6. While the state’s legal limit for driving is .08 percent, Robinson’s defense implies that Medina Police cited him after the four-year NFL veteran stopped driving.

Officer David Obermiller’s more detailed account of the evening remains sealed by law until entered into evidence, and Fox said in a statement that the defense has no public comment.

The police report shows a slash through the box reserved for blood-alcohol content, while noting that Robinson was driving a 2003 BMW 760 with four doors and blue paint.

Medina deputy prosecutor Russell Joe is seeking punishment associated with posting a blood-alcohol content of at least .15 percent, or of refusing a blood-alcohol test while carrying no prior DUI convictions.

If the charge is true, Robinson’s blood-alcohol content was either close to double the legal limit for driving, or he refused to take a test. Fox’s statement that Robinson’s blood-alcohol level reached or exceeded .10 percent seems to imply that his client submitted to testing at some point.

At the very least, Robinson was drunk on the night Obermiller cited him for the latest in a long line of alleged criminal driving offenses.

In October, a search of public records revealed 21 cases implicating Robinson for various misdeeds, including four allegations of negligent driving since 2003.

There were 13 other traffic-related cases, including one from April 2004 in which an officer cited Robinson for traveling 105 mph in a 60 zone. That case was later dismissed, court records showed.

Six other incidents originated from Robinson’s home state of North Carolina, including four in 1998.

A search of records showed no conviction for DUI. Robinson, speaking to reporters following an April 30 practice, said he had given up alcohol after realizing he was close to squandering his career.

“I wasn’t really thankful for the opportunity that I was given,” he said. “A lot of people would give an arm and a leg to be in my position. I guess certain things have to happen a certain way for you to really get stuff.”

Or perhaps not. A man weighing roughly 200 pounds, as Robinson does, would have to consume more than five alcoholic drinks per hour to reach .10 percent blood-alcohol content, according to a chart on Fox’s Web site (www.duidefense.com).

If convicted of the charges as stated, court papers show that Robinson’s minimum sentence would be 48 hours in jail or no fewer than 30 days in electronic home monitoring, plus a $1,078 fine and one year’s suspension or revocation of driving privileges.

Robinson also would face no less than one year with an ignition interlocking device.

The maximum penalty would be 365 days in jail with a $5,000 fine, plus reimbursement for court costs and revocation of Robinson’s license to drive.

Robinson has requested a jury trial.

 

[Ego74]

Seahawks cut troubled Robinson, Taylor
NFL.com wire reports

KIRKLAND, Wash. (June 2, 2006) -- Troubled wide receiver Koren Robinson, who was suspended for off-field problems last season and faces new problems currently, was released by the Seattle Seahawks.

The team also released veteran cornerback Bobby Taylor, signed as a free agent last season after starring with Philadelphia. Taylor was troubled by injuries for much of last year

Last season, Robinson served a four-game league suspension. In January, coach Mike Holmgren benched him for skipping practice one day before an important game against Atlanta.

Robinson was the ninth overall pick in the 2001 draft. His best season was 2002, when he had 78 receptions for 1,240 yards, the only Seattle receiver other than Hall of Famer Steve Largent to record a 1,200-yard season.

The team did not mention Robinson's legal problems in a statement announcing his release. A day earlier, the team said it was "extremely disappointed and concerned with Koren's situation."

 

[Ego74]

Peter Boulware visits Seahawks, brother

By José Miguel Romero


KIRKLAND — Free agent Peter Boulware visited the Seahawks yesterday and left without signing. He is believed to have more visits before making his decision.

Boulware, older brother of Seahawks safety Michael Boulware, is a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker the Seahawks would like to bring in to be a pass-rush specialist. But he didn't play last season with the Baltimore Ravens because of knee and toe injuries.

Yesterday, Peter Boulware met with team officials and coaches, including defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, and took a physical with the Seahawks' medical staff. He is scheduled to leave this afternoon after taking time to visit his brother.

Boulware has already visited the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. He left Cleveland on Thursday after a physical, but the Browns didn't sound convinced Boulware's injuries are behind him enough for him to play at a high level.

"It's a little bit of a venture into the unknown because this is a situation where he has not played in a year, and you're not going to get an opportunity to see him work on the field prior to signing him," Browns general manager Phil Savage told the Akron Beacon Journal. "There's a risk involved there."

Notes

• The Seahawks will pick up $2.6 million in salary-cap room with the release of CB Bobby Taylor and WR Koren Robinson on Thursday. The Seahawks need the money to make a run at Boulware, among other reasons.

• The team starts an eight-day minicamp Monday, with daily practices through Thursday, then again June 13-16. The camp is voluntary.

 

[Ego74]

Seahawks Minicamp: Holmgren's return gives boost to the troops
Practice steps up with coach back from medical tests

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

KIRKLAND -- Mike Holmgren was back on the practice field yesterday, a day earlier than expected after the Seahawks coach experienced chest discomfort Monday.

"My wife is a little mad at me right now," said Holmgren, who missed Tuesday's workout. "But I figured if I stayed away two days, my parking place would be gone and someone would grab my chair in my office."

Holmgren became concerned Monday because the latest episode was his third in the past 10 days. After being given an angiogram by team physician Brad Shoup, it was determined Holmgren's heart is fine, but they still aren't sure what has been causing the discomfort. Holmgren is scheduled to see the doctor again tomorrow.

"They are extra cautious and conservative because my father passed away early from a heart attack," Holmgren said of his father, Lincoln, who was 48 when he died in 1974. "But everything looked good that way, so they just have to figure out why I felt a little funky."

The players greeted Holmgren's return with a practice so spirited and competitive it would have been fitting for the week of a playoff game.

"I didn't expect to see him. I think most of us expected him to not be here again today," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "I'm sure he's a little bit stubborn and wanted to come back. But it's good to see that he's healthy and doing well."

Among the standout plays: A Hasselbeck pass that was tipped by cornerback Kelly Herndon and almost intercepted by Andre Dyson before wide receiver Jason Willis finally caught it; wide receiver J.D Hackett making a nice grab of a Hasselbeck pass for a touchdown despite tight coverage from Dyson; Dyson slapping away a Seneca Wallace pass intended for Jerome Pathon; and cornerback Jordan Babineaux making a lunging deflection of a Wallace pass to tight end Itula Mili.

"I think they were happy I was back. They were all excited," Holmgren cracked. "Matt told me he was being real careful and making good decisions because, 'I was really thinking of your health every time I threw the ball.' "

BANNISTER HURTING: Alex Bannister, the NFC Pro Bowl special teams player in 2003, left the field after re-injuring the right collarbone he broke last season.

"I don't want to speculate right now, but it's pretty sore and it reacted the same way it did the first time it happened," Holmgren said.

That was in October, and the injury forced Bannister to miss the final nine games of the 2004 season. If it is the same injury, Bannister likely will be sidelined until the end of training camp.

"I saw it happen and I figured, 'Ah, geez,' " Holmgren said. "He's a tough guy and when he's bothered by something like that, you kind of think something happened."

As Holmgren was talking, Bannister was walking across the players' parking lot, right arm in a sling, on his way to have X-rays.

No official word on his injury is expected until today.

QB, OR NOT QB? Despite the continued impressive performance by Wallace in his third year, Holmgren said the club will continue to look for a veteran backup quarterback.

"That will be an on-going thing, to see if there's a veteran out there," Holmgren said, aware the free-agent cupboard currently is bare. "But just to bring in a guy who has some experience that I don't think will perform as well as Seneca, that doesn't any sense to me either."

HAWK TALK: Right guard Chris Gray missed practice because his father-in-law is ill. Rookie Doug Nienhuis, a seventh-round draft choice from Oregon State, replaced Gray with the No. 1 line. ... Left-footed punter Donnie Jones had to leave practice because of swelling in his left knee, but said later he was fine. ... Mike Yowarsky and Mike Phair officially joined the team as area college scouts. They worked for Seahawks president Tim Ruskell in Tampa and replace departed scouts Matt Malaspina and Mike Murphy, who joined the 49ers and Cowboys. ... Jacksonville director of pro personnel Charlie Bailey shot down a NFL Network report that the Seahawks were trying to trade running back Shaun Alexander to the Jaguars, telling the Florida Times-Union that such speculation is "a bunch of nonsense."