The Seattle Seahawks' 2017 season may have just begun as ugly as their 2016 season ended.
Fresh off a blowout loss to the Falcons in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, the Seahawks could end up losing their second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, all because they failed to disclose an injury to All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.
After their season ended, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said in a radio interview that Sherman played through an MCL injury throughout the second half of the season. On Thursday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen said the NFL may take the Seahawks' second-round pick as punishment for not reporting the injury. The Seahawks and Carroll himself could also be subject to fines.
"Sources say the club is contending that because Sherman never missed a snap during the season, the team should not be severely penalized," Mortensen said, noting Sherman was listed as "did not participate" or "limited" on a number of mid-week injury reports, but the MCL injury was not mentioned.
"The knee injury, which Carroll characterized this week as 'serious,' was never disclosed and the Seahawks coach later acknowledged the team had erred in its reporting procedures," Mortensen said.
The Seahawks have already lost their 2017 fifth-round pick after a repeated violation of league rules regarding offseason workouts. If the NFL decides to punish the Seahawks for the Sherman situation, Mortensen said Seattle would likely lose its second-round pick instead of its fifth-round pick, rather than in addition to it.
The Seahawks' season ended Saturday when they lost 36-20 at Atlanta in the Divisional playoff round. The Seahawks' 34-31 loss to the Cardinals on Christmas Eve ultimately prevented them from hosting that playoff game.
