Hawks Say Blades Likely For Camp Erickson Confident, Hopeful Receiver Can Quickly Put Tragedy Behind Him
The Seattle Seahawks expect to have Brian Blades at their training camp, despite his involvement in the fatal shooting of his cousin at Blades’ Florida home last week.
“I haven’t talked to Brian personally, but from what we understand he’s going to be here for camp unless things change,” first-year coach Dennis Erickson said Wednesday.
Blades, the Seahawks’ star receiver, owned the handgun that killed Charles Blades at the player’s condo in Plantation, Fla., July 5.
Police said Brian Blades was the only other person in the room when Charles Blades was killed by a bullet in the head. The death has not been classified as a homicide, but suicide has been ruled out.
On Tuesday, a sobbing Blades told a news conference that his cousin’s death was an accident. He has refused to talk to police.
The Seahawks’ training camp for rookies and about 20 selected veterans officially begins with the first practice Monday. The other veterans, including Blades, are scheduled to report here for physical exams July 21 and practice for the first time the following day.
Blades, 29, is a key player in Erickson’s bid to turn around the Seahawks, who were 14-34 in their past three seasons under Tom Flores. Flores was fired after last season and Erickson was hired from University of Miami.
Blades is headed into his eighth season in Seattle after catching a franchise-record 81 passes for a career-best 1,086 receiving yards last season. He was the Seahawks’ second-round draft choice in 1988.
Blades ranks second to Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent with 5,560 receiving yards for the Seahawks, and is No. 3 in receptions behind Largent and John L. Williams with 416 career catches.
Erickson said it was important for Seahawks players to rally behind Blades.
“I really believe in order to be good you’ve got to be a family,” he told a news conference. “Football’s a team game. When somebody has a problem and something happens, a tragedy that happened with Brian, then everybody hurts. We’ve all got to work together to help him get over this.”
Erickson said he had no information about Blades’ mental state, but the Seahawks need his talent on the field and he needs to put the Florida shooting behind him as quickly as he can.
“You’ve got to see where he’s at mentally,” Erickson said. “It’s a tragedy and those of us who have been in tragedies in our lives know it’s a day-by-day thing.”
Erickson added: “Brian’s the only one who can make the progress. But knowing Brian and the mental toughness that he has, and the type of person that he is, I look for him to have a great year for us.”