Some uncomfortable situations facing Birds as they return from bye
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By Ed Kracz Staff writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments
Ronnie Brown was traded, then taken back in deadline deal; Asante Samuel is unhappy with the trade talk concerning him.
Two uncomfortable workplace situations figure to greet the Eagles upon their return from a bye week on Monday.
One is Ronnie Brown. Two is Asante Samuel. And it’s not necessarily in that order.
Brown thought he’d be in Detroit by now, after being told before last Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline that he had been packaged to the Lions in exchange for another running back, Jerome Harrison, and a 2013 seventh-round draft pick.
Signed in August to a one-year free agent deal, Brown had not received much playing time with the Eagles and was looking forward to beginning anew with Detroit. Sources said he was extremely disappointed when the NFL voided the deal because Harrison flunked a physical given to him by Eagles team doctors.
Harrison, it was discovered, had a brain tumor, a story broken first by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Harrison had complained to Dr. Gary Dorshimer, the Eagles’ team physician, of headaches during his examination and that was when Dorshimer ordered an MRI, which revealed the tumor.
The test revealed a tumor known as ependymoma in the fourth ventricle of Harrison’s brain. Also found was a condition known as asteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormal connection between veins and arteries, and that may have been a contributing factor.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that Harrison underwent surgery on Friday, and doctors believe they were able to remove all of the tumor.
Harrison has since been placed in the reserve/non-football illness list by the Lions, ending his season. Brown, meanwhile, is still with the Eagles.
As for Samuel, the cornerback went on a 97.5 The Fanatic radio program on Saturday and complained that the Eagles do not want him anymore as evident by the rumors that swirled last week that the team was trying hard to trade him.
“Definitely doesn’t sit well with me,” Samuel told the show’s hosts, Tim McManus and Pat Callahan. “Definitely, I’ve been nothing but what they expected me to be when they brought me here. ... And obviously they don’t want me there, so life goes on. So we’ll see where I’m at.”
Samuel went on to add, “Well, as long as I’m getting paid I’m gonna do my job. So whoever (is) cutting the check, I do my job. ... So I’m not worried about that. I just know in the back of my head they don’t want me there. So, you know, that’s not gonna leave. They put it out there so everybody could know that, so I know that and everybody knows that. So it’s in the back of my head. And Asante Samuel is a business entity first, so I’m going to make sure I handle my business accordingly.”
Samuel has only one interception this season and was injured briefly during the team’s 20-13 win over the Redskins in the game before their bye while making what appeared to be a very poor form tackle on a Washington ballcarrier.