Russell Wilson misses first day of OTAs to attend funeral with Jimmy Graham
Both quarterback Russell Wilson and newly acquired tight end Jimmy Graham were absent from the first day of the Seattle Seahawks’ organized team activities on Tuesday, but it wasn’t for the usual contract-related reasons players often miss OTAs.
According to multiple reports, Wilson accompanied Graham to Miami, Florida, to attend the funeral of Tamara Meyerson, Graham’s longtime manager and mentor.
Meyerson passed away on Friday at the age of 45. Graham was named in her obituary along with her three children as “the number one priority in her life.”
“Tammy loved and mentored Jimmy as a son,” her obituary read.
Graham is entering his first season with Seattle after spending the first five seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints. He was traded along with a fourth-round pick to the Seahawks in March in exchange for Max Unger and a first-round pick.
In addition to Graham and Wilson, defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett were also reportedly absent from the voluntary workouts. Avril posted on Instagram that his father passed away over the weekend while Bennett is reportedly seeking a change to his contract.
According to ESPN.com, the Seahawks were aware of Graham, Wilson and Avril’s absences, but not Bennett’s.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
