Broncos' Su'a Cravens blasts Redskins on Twitter
Suffice to say, Su'a Cravens' time with the Washington Redskins was tumultuous. The Skins dealt him to the Denver Broncos in the spring of 2018 in exchange for a fifth-round pick, while swapping fourth and fifth-round picks as well.
Cravens' time in Denver was initially marred by injury, similarly to his tenure in Washington. One big difference, however, is how the Broncos have managed Cravens' ongoing health status, compared to the way the Redskins did.
Cravens is completely healthy now and it's beginning to show in his play. In that vein, though, the 2016 second-round pick out of USC has decided to blast his former NFL team publicly.
2 years later and I’m still fighting the Skins on something they’ve continued to do countless time," Cravens said Monday via Twitter. "Which is why the best tackle in the game refuses to play for them now. Same reason I left. Mishandled injuries and withheld info. All evidence points to them being guilty!
I will continue to fight this case and as the Skins continue to call countless irrelevant witnesses to buy time and hopefully wait me out from their due fate . I will not settle no matter how much the Skins drag their feet on this . They know they’re guilty!
During the time I was put on the exempt list the Skins went out of their way to cut my insurance off, froze my payments, refuse to pay me and even recoup pay. All for a very real injury that THEY decided was made up. Which is why people fear being hurt in the league.
I will not be intimated nor will this go away anytime soon Skins. The evidence in court shows your guilty actions. The lies and mixed stories your witness provided have all been proven false . Use the CBA rules to your advantage all you want I will still win ! You will not!
2 years and no interest added to what I’m rightfully due and no timetable as to when the Skins will be forced to pay me what they owe. I’m willing to fight until the end. I thank the players who have experienced this with this team first hand that have called them on it!
Cravens' is talking about the severe concussion he suffered his rookie year in Washington. The brain injury really affected him, caused him to question his NFL career, and retire short-term.
Although Cravens returned to action a few weeks later after getting through the NFL's five-step concussion protocol and passing the imPACT test, he still suffered from lingering post-concussion syndrome as a rookie. While in the protocol, Cravens experienced headaches, dizziness, problems focusing his eyes to track objects, blurred double-vision and even some mood issues. It threw the 21-year-old for a loop.
Even after he returned to the field of play, Cravens' experienced lingering post-concussion symptoms, including panic attacks and mood swings. A depression set in.
In Week 14 of that same rookie season, Cravens suffered a biceps injury. The Redskins originally feared he'd suffered a tear but an MRI tested negative.
This led to him missing the final three games of the season and positioned him somewhat in an adversarial posture with the Redskins because the team thought he could have played in Week 17 to close out the year.
After suffering a tear in his meniscus in the Redskins' first preseason game of 2017, Cravens' relationship with Washington only deteriorated more. It led to a fractured situation in which he chose to retire.
Washington placed him on the reserve/left squad list, ending any chance of him playing in the 2017 regular season. Later that December, Cravens was medically cleared to return after undergoing treatment and rehabilitation from post-concussion syndrome.
Four months later, Cravens was dealt to the Broncos. Meanwhile, as you can see from his tweets above, Cravens wasn't happy with the medical treatment he received while under the Redskins' purview and there's still an unresolved issue under dispute.
Cravens has a grievance filed for the way the Redskins placed him on that reserve/left squad list in 2017, which cost him his $651,408 base salary.
After Cravens filed a grievance, Washington also pushed for 25% of the signing bonus they paid Cravens back, which amounts to one-year of his four-year contract. As far as I know, and reading all the latest reporting on the grievance, Cravens hasn't been forced to pay that back... yet. That's all I know for now and will report more if/when additional info comes to light.
Cravens is now 24 and fighting for a spot on the Broncos' 53-man roster under new head coach Vic Fangio. I doubt the Broncos love the fact that he went public with his thoughts on the Redskins, if only because it has the potential to create a distraction. But that's kind of what Cravens does.
He brings a little drama with him wherever he goes. In years past, his talent and impact on the field has been enough to outweigh whatever drama comes along with him. I'm not sure he's in a position currently in Denver where he can risk bringing more drama to the locker room or rest on his past laurels.
Cravens has played well through two preseason games, though. Here's to hoping he can stay focused on the task at hand and not let his past beef with the Redskins derail his path in Denver.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.
