After two months of exile, Leroy Hill is back with the Seahawks.
Hill, a starting outside linebacker, was told by Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider to stay away from the team after an April arrest led to a domestic-violence charge. But on Monday Hill returned to the team’s Renton headquarters for a closed-to-the-media practice, a team spokesman said.
Hill has been away from the team since being arrested April 10 following an incident at his Issaquah home. Carroll and Schneider both said they are waiting for guidance from the league before deciding Hill’s future with the team.
Less than two weeks before his arrest in Issaquah, Hill pleaded guilty and received 12 months probation in Georgia on a marijuana charge. Hill may have been facing discipline from the league for that arrest, and could be looking at a longer suspension following his latest legal troubles.
“We’re getting closer to understanding where the situation is, and we’ll know more about that pretty soon,” Carroll said last week when asked about Hill’s continued absence from the team.
Asked if the missed practices were hurting Hill, Carroll said: “Well if that didn’t matter, why would you practice? Practice is hugely important. There’s a new system, there’s a whole new approach to doing things. This certainly hinders his opportunity without question. The other guys have rocketed ahead with their chances and taken advantage of that, and that’s just part of the competition. You do what you can with your opportunities. So he’s going to have to battle back if we can get him back out here. We’ll see when the time comes.”
Hill’s return seems to be a sign that he has not been ruled out of the Seahawks’ plans, though it’s not certain that he will be on the team at the start of the 2010 season. The contract Hill signed last offseason guaranteed his $6 million salary for this season, but that could be voided if he is suspended. According to a report by ESPN’s John Clayton, a suspension for Hill’s marijuana charge would not affect that guarantee, as the contract was signed after that arrest. A lengthier suspension for the domestic-violence charge, however, could allow the Seahawks to get out from under the guaranteed salary.
In Hill’s absence, David Hawthorne and Will Herring have split time at weak-side linebacker with the first-team defense. Herring started six games last season when Hill was injured. Hawthorne was a middle linebacker, starting 11 games in place of the injured Lofa Tatupu.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog.
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