Seahawks’ Alexander cleared to play against Panthers

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren removed all doubt Wednesday: NFL MVP Shaun Alexander will play in Sunday’s conference championship game against Carolina.

So will starting right tackle Sean Locklear, who spent two days in jail this week and was charged with assault.

Alexander sustained a concussion last Saturday in the first quarter of Seattle’s win over Washington. The league rushing champion later said he was unconscious initially and then “out” of it for about 20 minutes.

But Holmgren said the All-Pro back will be ready for the Panthers.

“Shaun’s full go,” the coach said. “He passed some tests we gave him yesterday. He participated in our walk-through this morning. He’s going to be fine.”

In the full afternoon non-contact practice, Alexander split first-team practice time with backup Maurice Morris. Morris rushed 18 times for 49 yards while replacing Alexander on Saturday.

Alexander, who rushed for a team-record 1,880 yards in the regular season, joked he learned something about himself over a four-day battery of doctors’ tests.

“Oh, yeah. I took all the tests and realized the guy knocked some sense into me,” Alexander said of Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, who appeared to hit the back of Alexander’s helmet during a 1-yard loss Saturday. “I am actually smarter than I was before.”

Meanwhile, Holmgren told Locklear he will also start.

On Tuesday, Locklear was in a Seattle courtroom getting a Feb. 13 hearing date for the assault charge. He pleaded innocent. Prosecutors allege Locklear grabbed his live-in girlfriend around the neck and left red marks on her neck and chest outside a Seattle nightspot early Sunday. He spent two days in the King County Jail.

“As he explained to me exactly what happened, I believe I understand what happened. At that point I have made the decision that he will play in the football game,” Holmgren said.

Locklear, 24, apologized to Seattle and his teammates.

“I want to start off today by apologizing to the community and everybody,” the first-year starter said. “I’m not proud of the things I’ve done.”

Holmgren added what happened was far out of character for Locklear, a third-round draft choice in 2004 out of North Carolina State.