The Raiders have been no strangers to off-field drama in recent years, so when it was announced on Thursday that Christian Wilkins was being released, the news came as a surprise but wasn’t any more dramatic than what the team has dealt with in the past.
Additionally, there were a few warning signs last month that Wilkins’ relationship with the team wasn’t on great terms.
A few weeks ago, Chat Sports host Mitchell Renz reported that Wilkins has been pushing back against team doctors who wanted him to have a second procedure on his foot.
Wilkins opted against a second surgery at least two months ago and based on Thursday’s statement from the Raiders, it doesn’t sound like the Pro Bowl defensive tackle is anywhere close to being back at full strength.
On Friday, though, Renz mentioned another detail to the Wilkins saga, and it sounds like there was some kind of incident between Wilkins and the organization that might have played a role in his departure.
“Multiple sources indicated to me today that Wilkins had ‘issues with players, coaches and staff members,'” Renz said on the Raiders Report, adding that another source told him Wilkins ‘wasn’t buying in’ in recent months.
“This is probably the thing that I’ve got to figure out and do a little bit more homework on,” Renz continued. “I’m just going to say this… a certain incident [happened] between Christian Wilkins and the Raiders. The first source told me ‘It was weird. That’s all I can say.'” Another source told me today ‘We are better off without him’ and another source told me ‘Yeah, we can’t say. Sorry, bro. I just can’t say it.’
“One of those sources is the person that indicated to me that the Las Vegas Raiders were not happy with Christian Wilkins, that they thought he needed that second surgery and Wilkins didn’t want to have it, so obviously this is someone that is very tied in with the organization [and] the whole situation going on with Wilkins.”
Renz said he doesn’t know what happened in the “incident” involving Wilkins, but he is probably referring to the same situation league insider Joshua Anderson alluded to on Friday.
For now, the incident is a mystery, but odds are good that the details will surface sooner rather than later.
x: @raidersbeat
Two words -Trey Hendrickson
Two words= well said