Javon Walker wants to retire
By zbest
ESPN has a source telling them that on Thursday Javon Walker asked to return the $11 million dollar signing bonus he received, and told the Oakland Raiders he was done playing football.
Walker is said to have told the Raiders he hasn’t been happy with his performance during training camp, but without stating any other details, ESPN says that Al Davis convinced Walker not to retire.
I’ve said week after week that there’s just something wrong with this guy. Although I still don’t know what is going on in his head or his life, nor do I really care to know, it does seem that whatever is going on is weighing too much on the 29-year old receiver for him to be able to handle the rigors of the NFL. Let alone hone in on his incredible talents long enough to actually live up to the tens of millions of dollars that the Raiders have given him, and promised him over the next 6 seasons.
I’m very curious to find out what Davis told him. Did he convince Walker to at least stay until camp was done? Has Walker’s feelings really changed? I’ll have more to say as more details emerge.
Updated:
Walker had yet another bad practice this morning. Lane Kiffin said on Friday that Walker would start joining the team on Monday for both of their daily practices. Kiffin said the 2-a-days are meant to help Walker catch up to speed.
Walker was interviewed Saturday evening, well after the ESPN report broke.
"Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker, without ever actually confirming he considered retiring, danced around questions and said he is ready to move forward.“That’s a done issue,”’ Walker said after practice Saturday night. “That was something, I’m not really sure about it, but it’s a done issue. That’s something that obviously, people hear stuff, and I’m here, practicing, waiting and obviously I can’t wait until the season starts.”"
Kiffin on the other hand confirmed the ESPN article.
"“It was a conversation where Javon came in, talked to me, expressed it was something he was thinking about doing and a direction he may want to go,” Kiffin said. “So I told him to take a little bit of time. Go back to his room, talk to people close to him, then I put him in touch with Al. They had a conversation, and then Javon came back the next morning, and said he wanted to keep going.”"