Another strange turn in Christian Wilkins’ release

ESPN reports he had incident with teammate

A strange new development was reported in in the case of the Las Vegas Vegas Raiders’ surprise release of standout defensive tackle Christian Wilkins four days ago.

In the aftermath of the stunning news, there were multiple reports that stated Wilkins was involved in some sort of incident with a teammate that may have contributed to the Raiders’ decision to walk away from in addition to his disagreement over his recovery from an injured foot.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the incident was that Wilkins “playfully” tried to kiss an unknown teammate on the head in a team meeting room and the player was offended by it and it was reported to the team’s human resources department according to Schefter. Schefter also reported that that incident wasn’t the only reason Wilkins was released.

Apparently, there are a lot of rumors swirling about the extend of the incident.

Friday, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll met with the media, but didn’t go deep into the team’s reasons to move way from Wilkins, but he did flatly say, after careful and lengthy deliberations, the team’s brass decided that they saw no easy path for Wilkins to get back to the playing field. Now, the franchise decided to move on.

“We’re keeping it real clear with what we said, I think there was no clear path for his return,” Carroll said Friday. “So, we just had to move on.”

There have been reports that the team and Wilkins disagreed on his recovery plan from a foot injury he suffered last October. The team reportedly wanted him to have a surgery, but Wilkins balked, causing a major issue between the two sides, causing the Raiders to issue a terse (and unusual) statement about his release.

Wilkins was recovering from a Jones fracture in his foot that prematurely ended his initial season in Week 5. It was reported during OTAs that he suffered a setback in his recovery, which required another surgery. After signing a four-year, $110 million contract in free agency last year, Wilkins played in just five games for the Raiders, collecting 17 tackles, two sacks and two TFLs.

The Raiders are also voiding the remaining guaranteed money on Wilkins’ contract, and he filed a grievance with the NFLPA, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed.

It has been reported that the Wilkins may soon start taking visits wit other teams. New England coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Friday the team will talk about signing Wilkins. Monday, Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who coached WiIlkins In Miami, said it wouldn’t be his decision, but he enjoyed coaching Wilkins and would have interest in adding to the position.

It’s unknown what Schefter’s report will affect Wilkins moving forward.