The Seahawks reportedly will not lose a draft pick for their failure to disclose a knee injury to cornerback Richard Sherman on their injury report last season.
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the league has issued a warning to the team for not disclosing the injury.
Sherman sustained an MCL injury in the second half of the season but was not listed on the team's injury report. Such an omission is against league rules regarding injury reporting. Sherman was frequently listed on the injury report late in the season as he received days off for rest. However, those absences were termed "not injury related." Via Garafolo, the issue has been chalked up as a misinterpretation of the rules.
NFL league policy states: "The Practice Report is expected to provide clubs and the public an accurate description of a player's injury status and his level of participation during the practice week. All players who have significant or noteworthy injuries must be listed on the Practice Report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game. This is especially true of key players and those players whose injuries have been covered extensively by the media."
Per those guidelines, the Seahawks violated the rules by not listing Sherman on the report. Head coach Pete Carroll himself called the injury "significant."
Nevertheless, the Seahawks will not a lose a draft pick due to the issue. It was initially reported Seattle could lose a second-round pick due to the failure to disclose Sherman's injury. However, if they have a future failure to disclose an injury, it's likely this one will also be held against them when determining a punishment.
Photo credit: GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 23: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks defends wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)