NFL News: Cortland Finnegan Coming Out Of Retirement
The latest NFL news has Cortland Finnegan trying to come out of retirement with the Carolina Panthers, according to NBC Sports.
After beating the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day and making a statement on the national stage, the Panthers extended their perfect season to an 11-0 record. Their next game against the New Orleans Saints doesn’t takes place for ten days. Many would figure that Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and his staff would be taking it easy this weekend. They’re not. Carolina is searching for secondary help so they worked out Finnegan on Friday.
Finnegan is a name that has not been mentioned much by the NFL as of late. The reason for that is because he has stayed below the radar after announcing his retirement following a release from the Miami Dolphins. Of course, the 31 year old never bothered to file his retirement paperwork with the league. Finnegan worked out for the New England Patriots, per NBC Sports, back in October but he could not convince head coach Bill Belichick to sign him.
In case you haven’t heard, Finnegan is considered one of the dirtiest players in the history of the NFL. His peers in the NFL bestowed him the dishonor of that award in 2010. The former Samford University star was able to earn more votes than any other player in a league that consists of Buffalo Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito and Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who usually gets votes before the season even starts. Finnegan is that dirty of a player.
If the award was not enough to convince you of how dirty Finnegan is as a player, then you can take a look back at an infamous moment when he got into a fight with Andre Johnson, the former Houston Texans wide receiver who is well known for being one of the classiest and calmest players in the NFL. For him to be able to get Johnson worked up enough to scuffle, that takes a lot. Finnegan also has enough dirty footage to fill up highlight reels on YouTube.
While Finnegan is a dirty player, the Panthers are not known as a dirty team. Rivera prefers to have players in the locker room that is going to put the team first. Carolina wants guys that do not want to draw extra attention by doing things that are against the rules. The 53-year-old head coach is not nearly as lenient as Jeff Fisher, whose reputation has been taking a hit lately. Finnegan played for Fisher on both the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams.
The odds of Finnegan being signed by the Panthers appear to be rather slim. Carolina is kicking the tires because veteran corner back Charles Tillman has missed a couple of games with injuries to his knee and shoulder. Bene Benwikere moved from the nickel back position to replace Tillman on the outside. Backup safety Colin Jones filled in at the nickel back position and has been targeted and decimated by opposing quarterbacks. Rivera is concerned about that.
Do you think that Cortland Finnegan will get another chance in the NFL or will he be forced to accept his fate and retire?
[Featured Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images]
