Did Antoine Winfield Sign with Seattle Seahawks Because of Positive Drug Tests?
By Josh Hill
The drama and mystery surrounding where Antoine Winfield will playing 2013 ended this weekend, but the questions as to why he decided to sign with the Seahawks are still being answered. Winfield, who seemed happy in and loyal to Minnesota, opted to not return and instead uproot his family yet again in his career to take a deal with Seattle.
The first reason for his leaving Minnesota in favor of Seattle is obvious: the prospect of winning a Super Bowl is a lot better in Seattle than it is in Minnesota. The Vikings made the playoffs last year but it seemed fluky even when it was happening. The Seahawks made the playoffs and the only fluky thing about it seemed to be that they were eliminated.
However, the most likely reason for Winfield signing in Seattle had to do with drugs and failed drug tests.
Both Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman tested positive for Adderall last season with Browner serving a four game suspension. Sherman got away with the crime, but he hasn’t shut up about it since, leading one to believe the NFL is going to find a way to nail him to a wall like they wish they had the first time.
What this does is it opens up playing time for Winfield, more than he’d be getting anyways. The move makes sense from the Seattle side of things in that not only does Winfield provide a veteran presence, he also provides reliable depth behind Browner and Sherman in case one of them has to be benched for whatever reason.
So essentially, the tipping point for Winfield deciding to sign with the Seahawks over the Vikings seems to be positive drug tests and the potential for more of them in the future. It’s not the only reason, but this might be the start of a trend in the NFL where teams cover their bases by backing up their young and pumped up stars with calmer, reliable veterans who can fill in when the youngsters make stupid mistake and then get caught.