Chief Priest Returns
Priest Holmes informs Chiefs he will Report to Training Camp on Saturday
Kansas City Chiefs RB Priest Holmes informed President Carl Peterson on Wednesday that he intends to report to training camp at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls on Saturday. Holmes has passed a physical and has been cleared to begin activities with the club. Holmes is under contract with the Chiefs through the 2009 campaign.
Peterson received a call from Todd France (Holmes’ representative) and indicated that Priest had made a decision that he wants to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007. Peterson then received a phone call from Holmes in which he personally reiterated his intentions for 2007. The Chiefs then coordinated visits with the team’s orthopedic physicians and specialists in Miami. Everyone conferred following the examination and it was the opinion of the doctors that Priest could play NFL football in 2007.
“In my conversation with Priest, he was excited about playing,” Peterson explained. “Later, Herm (Edwards) and I sat down with Priest here in Kansas City and discussed his decision and our thoughts on his return. We may put him on active PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) initially to gauge his football conditioning and to see how he feels after non-contact drills. But he indicated very strongly to me that he wanted to play and his motivation was to help the Kansas City Chiefs win a championship.
“For myself, I think without question by what Priest Holmes has contributed to this franchise, he deserves the right and opportunity to play again for the Chiefs,” Peterson continued. “He wants to do that and we’re going to afford him that opportunity. From a personal standpoint, certainly I have said many times that I would never count this player out like so many did after his hip surgery. He’s a very unique human being, a very unique talent and I think he will prove some people wrong again. We are going to take it slow to gauge and monitor where he is every day, but there’s no question that if Priest Holmes is close to what he was before his injury, he’ll make a significant impact on the offensive side of the football.”
