More information is emerging regarding the incident that reportedly may have factored into the Raiders’ decision to release defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Whether or not the information is accurate remains to be seen.
Appearing Monday on Pat McAfee’s show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that Wilkins “playfully went to kiss a teammate on top of his head,” and that the player took offense to it. Schefter added that this is the story that has been the subject of speculation and “dancing around.”
If the up-or-down, yes-or-no question is whether Wilkins “allegedly, playfully kiss[ing] a teammate on the head” is the thing that is going around the NFL as to the “incident” that may have happened, that’s definitely not the case. While Schefter’s report could be the accurate and definitive explanation as to what actually happened, the version/speculation/rumor that has been making the rounds on the NFL grapevine regarding Wilkins and a teammate isn’t that Wilkins kissed a teammate on the head.
Schefter has since published an article about it. He reports that the incident happened last week, in a team meeting room. One source said that the interaction was “playful.” The teammate nevertheless objected, filing a report with the team’s H.R. department.
Schefter also adds this new wrinkle. The Raiders voided the $35.2 million in remaining guarantees on Wilkins’s deal on June 4. The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Wilkins’s behalf on Thursday. That same day, Wilkins was released with, per Schefter, the designation of terminated vested veteran.
Let’s take a step back and apply common sense to this one. First, if the Raiders voided the guarantees on June 4 regarding his alleged failure to rehab his foot injury, why did they wait to cut him over the rehab issue until July 24? Was the incident in the meeting room truly the final straw? Or were they simply hoping another potential reason to wipe out his guarantees might fall into their laps?
As to the incident, would a reasonable professional football player make a report to H.R. over a teammate allegedly kissing him on the head? It seems like an extreme reaction to being kissed on the head. So if an H.R. report was indeed filed, it’s fair to wonder whether the player who made the report has a different version of the events.
The best and most clear picture as to the claim made is surely contained in the H.R. report and the ensuing investigation. If Wilkins and/or his agent want people to believe the Wilkins-favorable version that has been leaked to Schefter, Wilkins and/or his agent should authorize the Raiders to release it, with the teammate’s name redacted.
It also would be nice to know whether the Raiders released Wilkins with a designation that would circumvent his skill, injury, and cap guarantee. The Ravens did that in 2020 with safety Earl Thomas, designating the release as being the result of “personal conduct that has adversely affected” the team. Without anything more than Wilkins being terminated as a vested veteran, the release would have no impact on Wilkins’s guarantee — whatever the truth may be as to whatever may have happened between Wilkins and an unnamed (for now) teammate.
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth remains unknown. Wilkins has the ability to authorize the release of the H.R. report and related documentation. The official notice of his termination will shed light on whether the incident had anything to do with his release and/or his guarantees.
Then there’s the teammate who made the complaint. A name has been making the rounds. If that’s the player (or, really, whoever it may be), he can tell his story and set the record straight as to whatever it was that made him do something that NFL players rarely do against teammates — race to Human Resources.
