Undertaker #59
10-13-2006, 04:14 PM
Paul Domowitch | Source says Simon uninterested
by Paul Domowitch
THE COLTS' decision to put defensive tackle Corey Simon on the non-football illness-injury list last week had nothing to do with a mystery illness and everything to do with the club's belief that he didn't want to play football, according to a source close to the situation.
Simon, 29, who signed a 6-year, $30 million contract with the Colts last August after the Eagles removed the franchise tag from him, already has received more than $14 million in bonuses and salary from the Colts.
He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in mid-August to repair some minor cartilage damage. The Colts had expected him back by the start of the season. But last week, he still was insisting his knee wasn't well enough for him to play. His weight, according to the source, also has been ballooning. When he played for the Eagles in 2004, he weighed about 305. When he signed with the Colts last season after sitting out training camp and all of the Eagles' offseason workouts, he was up to 325. Now, he's on the plus side of 350, the source said.
ESPN reported last week that Simon was diagnosed with polyarthritis, which is arthritis that affects at least five joints. But both Colts owner Jim Irsay and Simon's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, have disputed that."There was nothing conclusive or decisive that was diagnosed,'' Irsay said last week. "Corey said he couldn't return, couldn't go, couldn't participate.''
By putting Simon on the non-football illness-injury list, the Colts don't have to pay him the remaining $1.9 million of his 2006 salary. According to the source, the Colts almost certainly will release Simon after the season..
Neither Simon nor Barnes returned phone messages from the Daily News yesterday.
Colts general manager Bill Polian's decision to sign Simon was curious right from the start. At the time, they were looking for a tackle to shore up their run defense. But Simon always had been a much better pass rusher than run defender. When he arrived in Indy overweight, he wasn't even an effective pass rusher anymore. He didn't have a single sack in 13 games last season....
by Paul Domowitch
THE COLTS' decision to put defensive tackle Corey Simon on the non-football illness-injury list last week had nothing to do with a mystery illness and everything to do with the club's belief that he didn't want to play football, according to a source close to the situation.
Simon, 29, who signed a 6-year, $30 million contract with the Colts last August after the Eagles removed the franchise tag from him, already has received more than $14 million in bonuses and salary from the Colts.
He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in mid-August to repair some minor cartilage damage. The Colts had expected him back by the start of the season. But last week, he still was insisting his knee wasn't well enough for him to play. His weight, according to the source, also has been ballooning. When he played for the Eagles in 2004, he weighed about 305. When he signed with the Colts last season after sitting out training camp and all of the Eagles' offseason workouts, he was up to 325. Now, he's on the plus side of 350, the source said.
ESPN reported last week that Simon was diagnosed with polyarthritis, which is arthritis that affects at least five joints. But both Colts owner Jim Irsay and Simon's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, have disputed that."There was nothing conclusive or decisive that was diagnosed,'' Irsay said last week. "Corey said he couldn't return, couldn't go, couldn't participate.''
By putting Simon on the non-football illness-injury list, the Colts don't have to pay him the remaining $1.9 million of his 2006 salary. According to the source, the Colts almost certainly will release Simon after the season..
Neither Simon nor Barnes returned phone messages from the Daily News yesterday.
Colts general manager Bill Polian's decision to sign Simon was curious right from the start. At the time, they were looking for a tackle to shore up their run defense. But Simon always had been a much better pass rusher than run defender. When he arrived in Indy overweight, he wasn't even an effective pass rusher anymore. He didn't have a single sack in 13 games last season....