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Woodson, Fans Angry over Trade
by Darius Donaldson, Oakland Tribune
Charles Woodson spoke to the public yesterday about the deal that sent him from the Oakland Raiders to the San Francisco 49ers recently. Woodson was resigned to a contract that would have seen him stay in Oakland for another four years beyond this season, then was dealt along with a 5th round draft pick in the 2006 draft, for San Francisco’s 2nd round draft pick in the same draft.
“This is ridiculous. That new GM over there, Barrett Blade, got me to resign with the team, saying that things were only going to get better for the organization, and that I would get the respect I deserve, then he traded me. All I can say is that the Raiders are in trouble now, and they are going to be hurting without me.” Woodson spoke to reporters from the 49ers training complex, as he reported to the team for the first time.
When reached for comment, Barrett Blade had this to say: “I don’t know why Charles is so upset. We did resign him so that we could deal him, and he came off looking clean. He got $4.75 million in a signing bonus that we walked away with, but you do not hear him complaining about that, do you? The fact is, Charles does not fit in with the new Oakland Raiders locker room. We want people who are going to put the team first, and Charles did not seem to be dedicated to that. That is also why we dealt Sebastian. He has been more trouble than he was worth in his time here in Oakland. Don’t get me wrong, they are both good players, but they just do not fit in our ideal of a team”
Blade was referring to another deal made recently, which saw Janikowski and a 7th round pick in the 2006 draft being sent to the Dallas Cowboys for their 5th round pick. To replace Janikowski, the Raiders signed 16 year veteran Steve Christie.
Already Oakland Raiders fans are sharing their outrage at the moves the new ownership and management have made. They have done so by calling into local radio shows, posting on Internet discussion groups and in chat rooms. It looks like the young tenure of the new management is already being rocked with controversy.
Oakland Raiders’ owner John Mackey spoke to us by phone. “Fans just need to be patient with us. We want to bring a winner to this organization, which they have not had since the Super Bowl appearance in 2002, and to do that, you cannot just throw money at skilled players. You need to bring in players who are right for the team, and can buy into the system. That is what we are doing now.”
And so, the Oakland Raiders will begin the 2005 season with more questions than ever, and with all of the Raider Nation watching.