Thursday, October 17, 2002
Jags deny dumping Boselli on Texans
The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If there was a lemon law in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars would be under investigation for letting the Houston Texans take Tony Boselli in the expansion draft. But Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin has a clear conscience.
He says the Jaguars never hid any of Boselli's injuries when they talked to the Texans about the All-Pro left tackle. Boselli, still not recovered from three offseason shoulder operations, went on injured reserve Tuesday without playing a snap for the Texans.
“That never entered my mind. Absolutely not,” Coughlin said Wednesday when asked if injury considerations led him to expose Boselli to the expansion draft.
But clearly, injuries were part of the formula when the Jaguars let Boselli go.
It was a move viewed as a stroke of luck and brilliance for the Jaguars. They took advantage of an unprecedented opportunity to not only jettison Boselli's huge contract to clean up their salary-cap mess, but to release a player whose body had clearly taken the punishment of seven tough years in the NFL.
Boselli missed the final 13 games of 2001 with the same shoulder injury that is still bothering him with the Texans. He tore a knee ligament that forced him out of the 1999 playoffs. He had ankle injuries that forced him out of one game in 1998 and four in 1997. A knee injury kept him out for the first three games of his rookie season in 1995.
Boselli was the first player the Jaguars selected in their expansion season, and the cornerstone of the Jacksonville franchise. Coughlin said letting him go was one of the most difficult things he's done as a coach. He stood by that Wednesday, even though it is becoming more clear each day that the Jaguars made an enlightened decision.
“My gut, my heart was in my throat about doing what we had to do with him,” Coughlin said.
Before the Texans took Boselli, the Jaguars supplied them with all his medical records. The Texans also had their own team doctors examine him. Finally, the NFL sent in an independent doctor, who tested Boselli and said he believed he would be able to start working out for the team by June.
Apparently, everyone miscalculated, and now the Texans are paying the price.
In the news conference Tuesday, Houston general manager Charley Casserly acknowledged the miscalculation.
“I have been in the league 25 years and every year you have to make a number of decisions on choosing a player who is not totally recovered from an injury,” Casserly said. “So, this was not an uncommon occurrence for us to be in. At the time we made it we thought that Tony would play this season. As happens sometimes with injuries, they are unpredictable.”
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Jags deny dumping Boselli on Texans