CURTIS CRABTREE
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says he’s disappointed his team has been docked two practices next offseason for excessive physical contact in a minicamp in June.
The league confirmed the penalties on Tuesday.
“We don’t want to do things wrong,” Carroll said following practice Wednesday. “We want to do things right. I’d like to show exactly how to do it. When you’re competing like we do, we’re trying to do things the best you can possibly do it. Unfortunately, this incident makes it look otherwise.”
Seattle will be docked the first two days of its 2015 mandatory minicamp and will be permitted one 2 1/2-hour practice on the final day. Seattle’s players will be paid for all three days of the camp. The minicamp this past June was marred by a fight between All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman and wide receiver Phil Bates that was caught by television cameras. Carroll confirmed that fight was a part of the focus by the league that led to the penalties.
Carroll said the Seahawks had received positive feedback from the league on multiple occasions that their practice habits were conforming to the rules regarding contact in practice. Ultimately, the scuffle between Bates and Sherman on June 18 led to a closer review of the sessions.
“A year ago and halfway through this camp, when they observed what was going on, they said everything was just fine so we kept going and just kept working,” Carroll said. “I was really pleased with that but unfortunately it went otherwise when we got to minicamp.”
Seattle also lost a pair of organized team activities during the 2012 offseason due to excessive contact.
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