Earlier on Thursday it was reported that Osi Umenyiora would be seeking a second opinion on his ailing knee from a specialist in Atlanta. Well, the Atlanta-based specialist determined that Umenyiora’s knee does not require surgery and that the Giants pass rushing defensive end was healthy enough to return to practice. It appears now that the disgruntled DE will return to Giants training camp on Monday.
"Probably," said his agent, Tony Agnone. "We’ll see how things go from here."
Unsurprisingl, Agnone was not ready to confirm that his client would be back so soon:
"The doctor said ‘You don’t need the surgery right away,’ which is nice," Agnone said. "So we’ll consult with Dr. (Russell) Warren (the Giants’ team physician) and (trainer) Ronnie Barnes and we’ll figure out the schedule. Hopefully he’ll be back on the field sooner or later."
Umenyiora and the Giants have been unable to come to any agreement about the one-time Pro Bowlers contract. He’s set to make $3.125 million in 2011, a nice sum but perhaps not quite befitting of someone who’s been so productive. Umenyiora has reportedly backed down from his demand that the Giants either re-do his deal or trade him. My guess is that the Giants will correctly hold their ground and not restructure the deal. Perhaps add in some performance bonuses, but it’s just too risky a proposition to let a player win that kind of salary standoff when under contract.
For the meantime, fans can at least be relieved that Umenyiora has been cleared to resume practice.
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