The Seattle Seahawks announced that they have released backup quarterback Josh Portis this morning.
The third-year pro was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol earlier this month.
On a busy first day of organized team activities, Dave Boling of The News Tribune writes that Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin looked as good as advertised.
Boling notes at 24 years old, the fifth-year pro is just six months older than quarterback Russell Wilson.
Boling: “Harvin has the potential to keep CenturyLink fans on their feet for seasons to come, whether as receiver, running back or kick returner. In four seasons, he’s had 20 touchdown receptions with four more scores on rushes and five additional on returns.
Last season, he was in the discussion for league MVP at the midway point, with 60 catches after eight games. For context, Sidney Rice led the Seahawks with 50 grabs for the entire season.”
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s impressive performance throwing the ball was the main attraction during rookie minicamp a year ago.
But an eventful Monday at the VMAC pushed Wilson’s development in his second season to the back burner.
However, Wilson’s continued development did not go unnoticed by Seattle head coach Pete Carroll.
“He’s threw a couple of balls today, things that we talked about over the offseason that he’d like to take a shot at, and he did it today just to see what would happen with full awareness of why he was doing it,” Carroll said. “We were talking about trying to throw the deep ball last year over guys’ outside shoulder; we’re just a million miles ahead of where we were. He’s the kind of player that will affect other guys – he affects everyone around him – and hopefully that will help everyone play better and faster.”
Steve Wyche writing for the league’s web site reports that the Seattle Seahawks could be fined by the NFL for multiple players being suspended in a season for violating the drug, steroid or personal conduct policies.
“There are financial consequences for a team that has multiple players suspended in a season under those policies,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said.
According to the report, Seattle could fall under the league’s remittance policy since multiple players recently have been suspended for violating the league’s policy on banned substances.
By rule, the Seahawks would be fined a portion of the salaries of the players that have been suspended based on an agreed-upon formula, according to the report.
Seattle has had a league-high seven players suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs during head coach Pete Carroll’s tenure.
Although cornerback Richard Sherman had his penalty reversed because of a chain-of-custody issue during the collection of his urine sample.
“We have to figure this out and try to help through education, and through all of the ways we can,” Carroll said. “And we’ll always compete to find more creative ways to make the message clear.”
The Seattle Seahawks’ options at Leo defensive end are drying up pretty fast.
The team’s leading sack guy the past three seasons, Chris Clemons, was not in attendance at Seattle’s first OTA because he’s back in Georgia rehabbing from ACL knee surgery.
Clemons’ replacement, Bruce Irvin, will not be available because he has to sit out the first four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.
And Cliff Avril, one of the team’s splashes in free agency, did not practice today because of a plantar fascia issue with his foot, which according to Seattle head coach Pete Carroll he injured four weeks ago.
So is Avril’s injury serious?
Players are responsible for their actions.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll offered a rambling, five-minute statement to begin his press conference after the Seahawks first organized team practice activity this afternoon.
He said that the Seahawks will continue to address the fact that the team has had seven players violate the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances during his tenure, with the latest defensive end Bruce Irvin.
“We go beyond what the league does,” Carroll said. “We go well past what the guidelines ask us to do, as far as working with our young guys, trying to give them the direction, and trying to give them the counseling.
“We have people on staff that are here specifically to work with our individual guys, because I really see this as an individual challenge.”
But ultimately, Carroll believes that the player has to be held accountable and responsible for his actions.
Seahawks quarterback Josh Portis is running out of lives.
First reported by Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, the third-year pro was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on May 5. Portis has an arraignment hearing scheduled at the Redmond courthouse scheduled for May 28.
According to the police report, a Washington State Patrol officer pulled Portis over at 9:26 p.m. on May 5 after observing him driving 80 miles per hour in a 60-mile-an-hour zone exiting the Mount Baker tunner heading eastbound on Interstate 90 in a 2008 Range Rover.
The Seattle Seahawks are one of 29 teams to begin organized team practice activities, better known as OTAs, this week.
And as receiver Doug Baldwin notes below, the players are ready to get started.
Ain’t nothing to it but to do it! First day of OTA’s. Lets get it! Monday #Blessings
— Doug Baldwin Jr (@DougBaldwinJr) May 20, 2013
The Seahawks will have 10 OTA sessions over a three-week period, which concludes with a mandatory minicamp from June 11 to June 13.
Four OTA sessions are open to reporters – today, May 28, June 3 and June 6 — along with the mandatory minicamp. We will have a report from today’s session up on the blog later this afternoon.