RENTON, Wash. (AP) — After answering six minutes’ worth of questions about why the Seattle Seahawks are working on a contract with cornerback Terrion Arnold, coach Mike Macdonald was asked about the team’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.Macdonald made it clear he was not ducking inquiries about Arnold, who is facing eight felony charges stemming from allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men in February. The 23-year-old became a free agent in June, when the Detroit Lions released him a few days after the kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy charges were levied. “I understand the situation,” Macdonald said Friday. “So, I’m glad that we had the opportunity to talk about it.”Macdonald explained why the reigning Super Bowl champions felt compelled to add Arnold, who prosecutors in Florida said arranged for men to be pistol-whipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.
Police called Arnold the “primary conspirator” in the Feb. 4 attack, and a judge set his bail at $1 million.Defense attorney R. Timothy Jansen said in Hillsborough County court earlier this summer that Arnold is “absolutely denying these allegations.” Denise White, the CEO of EAG Sports Management, an agency that represents Arnold, said there’s “no credible evidence” against him, only accounts from others who may have an incentive to get a lighter sentence.“We also understand that it’s a serious situation with a legal matter,” Macdonald said. “There’s a process behind it, so we respect that. And, that’s how we’ll operate, too, is just letting that process play out. And, let the league decide if and when his return to play is. And we’ll just kind of understand that that’s at play.”
