New Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour will board a flight to Oakland this afternoon, bringing an end to a five-day long Sit Out that kept him from reporting after the trade. Before he left, he spoke with Boston Herald columnist Ron Borges, his first public comments since it all went down.
He learned of the trade when Bill Belichick called him and simply said, We traded your rights to Oakland.
“First of all, I was blindsided by this whole event,†Seymour, the five-time Pro Bowler, told Borges. “When you get blindsided, you should take a moment to gather your thoughts. I have a lot of personal issues more pressing than football.â€
Seymour said if you want to watch for him with his new team, he’ll be wearing No. 92 on Monday Night. “I’ll be the guy on top of the quarterback,†he said.
Seymour does plan to play in the opener, obviously. Oh, and did you know he grew up a Raiders fan? Apparently, there are a bunch in South Carolina.
Before we go further, it’s worth noting that Seymour has been in regular contact with Raiders coach Tom Cable and owner Al Davis about his issues. And what are they?
Well, Seymour has four children, plus, he is the guardian of his 15-year-old cousin whose mother has passed. The 15-year-old had been in school in South Carolina until this year, at which point he was starting in North Attleboro… until the trade.
Now, Seymour’s wife and family are moving back to South Carolina (where they are from) and Richard will head to Oakland by himself.
“There are a lot of different emotions,†Seymour said. “Football was not my main concern at that point. I have had discussions with the Raiders… I’m excited and happy with the way they’re looking at me.â€
Did he ever demand an extension or a guarantee of not being franchised?
“There have been conversations,†he told Borges, “but I didn’t demand anything to go there. I’m happy to go there, and I told them that. But me and my family have never been separated. This was a difficult transition.â€
He also noted that the NFLPA filed a grievance on his behalf about the five-day letter, arguing that it was not the Raiders’ right to send it to him.
“But that’s more of a procedural thing,†Seymour said, not really specific to his situation.
