Vincent Jackson can return to the game earlier than predicted
A settlement between Vincent Jackson and the league was reached this Thursday which allows Jackson to return to the sport earlier than previously anticipated.
Jackson was suspended for three games after violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Then, after the San Diego Chargers placed him on a roster-exempt list for failing to report to the team, the league suspended him for an additional three games.
Jackson is looking for a long-term contract that San Diego is not interested in giving him. They offered him a one-year contract in June and he refused. By refusing to report and sign his tender in June, he forced the league to give him the suspension.
NFL Players Association attorney Richard Berthelsen went in to argue the case for his client and the two sides just reached a settlement. It allows Jackson to miss only one of the three extra games he had been suspended for.
When asked what he thought about the results Berthelsen said, “We got two-thirds of what we wanted and Vincent is very happy with that.”
This new settlement comes with a stipulation that the Chargers must trade Jackson before Wednesday, 22 September at 4pm. Should Jackson fail to be traded by the deadline he will be forced to serve the full six-game suspension.
There are three teams with whom the Chargers have allowed Jackson to speak with. The Seattle Seahawks, the St. Louis Rams and another as of yet undisclosed team. Both the Rams and the Seahawks have passed on Jackson because they don’t want to pay him for
a long-term deal and give up a draft pick.
It has been reported that the third team in question is the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings lost wide receiver Sidney Rice to a hip injury and subsequent surgery. Rice is not likely to return this season. The presence of Vincent Jackson on the Vikings line-up
could reinvigorate the struggling outfit.
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