Yahoo Lifestyle Jalen Ramsey tells Jaguars he's sick, won't be practicing Monday
Jalen Ramsey started and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday night in their 20-7 win over the Tennessee Titans, racking up nine total tackles and a forced fumble.
Ramsey played at his usual high level, but remains steadfast in his desire to be traded by Jacksonville, and he may or may not be using a new tactic to try to force the team’s hand.
Calling in sick
Via ESPN and NFL Network, Ramsey called the Jaguars on Sunday night to tell them that he’s sick and won’t be practicing on Monday; the 24-year-old believes he has the flu.
Citing sources, ESPN added that Ramsey may not practice this week at all.
It certainly is entirely possible that Ramsey is sick, and staying away from the Jaguars’ facility is best for him and the health of the rest of the roster. The Pro Bowler has been pretty open about everything to this point, acknowledging to reporters last Tuesday that he does want to be traded, but it wasn’t he or his agent that leaked his trade request to media.
Update (1:00 p.m. ET): Jaguars coach Doug Marrone told reporters that Ramsey was scheduled to meet with team medical staff on Monday morning; Marrone downplayed the situation by noting that players get sick. “To me, it’s nothing big,” Marrone said. “But I understand it’s probably a big story because of the other things that are surrounding it.”
Jaguars don’t want to trade Ramsey
While he has been transparent to this point, Ramsey could also be calling in sick as a ploy.
The Jaguars reportedly have no interest in trading Ramsey, and owner Shad Khan is willing to make him the highest-paid cornerback in the league as soon as he’s able.
But Ramsey’s issue is believed to be with the front office, specifically Jaguars football czar Tom Coughlin, and not with Khan or even Marrone, whom he had a public sideline spat with during the team’s Week 2 game against the Houston Texans.
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