Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 15

Seahawks Defend Signing Terrion Arnold Facing Several Felony Charges, Await NFL Decision

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 15

Seahawks Defend Signing Terrion Arnold Facing Several Felony Charges, Await NFL Decision

Q: Will the NFL's strict conduct policies sideline Terrion Arnold before he ever plays a single down for the Seahawks?

Yes—there is a real chance the NFL sidelines Terrion Arnold before he plays for Seattle, though it is not certain yet. The key mechanism is the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Arnold is facing eight felony charges in Florida—four counts of kidnapping and four of armed robbery—and the league can place a player on that list in “unusual circumstances” while it reviews the case. If that happens, Arnold could attend meetings and be paid, but he would not be allowed to practice or play. That makes his short-term outlook highly uncertain. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has openly acknowledged the team does not know if or when Arnold will be available, and Seattle is waiting for both the legal and NFL processes to unfold. Arnold already has been ruled out of the preseason opener, and his next court hearing is set for Oct. 5, with no trial date yet established. What cuts against a definitive answer is that the NFL has not yet announced any action. Seattle appears to believe Arnold could at least get through part of the preseason before the league decides, and teams sometimes see the exempt list imposed only after further review rather than immediately upon signing. So the most evidence-based answer is that Arnold is at significant risk of being sidelined before taking a snap for the Seahawks, especially in the regular season. But until the league acts, his status remains unresolved rather than settled.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 15

Mike Macdonald said Seattle signed Terrion Arnold because the team still believed strongly in the former first-round cornerback, while refusing to discuss the Florida felony case and deferring to league and court processes.
Sunday's tryout helped drive the move, Macdonald said, adding that trusted contacts vouched for Arnold personally and that he held informal one-on-one talks with players before agreeing to terms.
Saturday's preseason opener against Dallas will come too soon for Arnold, with Seattle still working through a timeline for him to join the team and the NFL still able to place him on the Commissioner's Exempt List.
Arnold's appeal to Seattle centers on his physicality, speed and Alabama experience in pattern-matching coverages, traits Macdonald said fit the Seahawks' secondary.
The signing also addresses a roster need after Riq Woolen's offseason departure left Seattle leaning on inexperienced options including Nehemiah Pritchett and rookies Julian Neal and Michael Dansby.