Seahawks plan to reinstate Derrick Coleman from suspension

RENTON – The Seahawks are reinstating fullback Derrick Coleman, who was suspended indefinitely by the team last week following his arrest on suspicion of felony vehicular assault and hit and run.

Coach Pete Carroll announced on Monday the team’s plans to lift the suspension, but he didn’t have a firm idea of when exactly it will happen or if Coleman will be available to play Thursday night against San Francisco.

“We’ll find out what the timing is of that, but as soon as we can,” Carroll said. “We really don’t have a lot of information – we don’t have any information for you – about what’s going on or the issues. We have not received stuff other than to know the basics and the fundamentals of it. So we will do that and then we will move from there.”

Coleman was arrested by Bellevue Police last Wednesday following a two-car accident. He wasn’t charged at the scene, and a statement from the King County Prosecutor’s Office upon Coleman’s release from jail noted that a decision on charges won’t be made until the Bellevue Police Department completes its investigation, which is expected to take at least a month. That investigation will reveal whether Coleman was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident, which police suspected may have been the case.

Coleman was released from jail on Friday – which is standard in the absence of charges – and Carroll said the team has spoken with him since then. Carroll cited Coleman’s explanation of the incident and additional information the team gathered about it as factors in the decision to lift the suspension.

“We did see him,” Carroll said. “We’ve also seen the video tapes of his meetings with the police. So we feel like we’re doing the right thing right now, obviously.”

Carroll said Coleman’s status for Thursday night’s game won’t be determined until he’s seen by team doctors, which his suspension has precluded. Bellevue Police said Coleman reported no injuries at the time of the accident, which caused his truck to roll over on its side. But Coleman’s attorneys told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny O’Neil that they believe Coleman sustained a concussion, saying that was a factor in him leaving the scene of the accident.

Carroll was asked if it’s the team’s understanding that Coleman was uninjured.

“We don’t know that yet. I don’t know specifically what the reports were,” Carroll said. “He was seen by a doctor on the outside that isn’t one of our guys so I don’t want to comment on that right now. But we’re gathering that and that will weigh into whether or not he’s able to play this week or not.”