The Seattle Seahawks are more than two years removed from Pete Carroll’s coaching staff, but one of the costliest chapters from that era has returned to the NFL conversation.
Per Joe Person of The Athletic, former Seahawks assistant Dave Canales said his time in Seattle helped shape how he handles practice limits with the Carolina Panthers.
This comes as the NFL Players Association reviews his opening training camp workout after edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Panthers have said they will cooperate with the review.
The Seahawks were disciplined three times for excessive contact or practice intensity while Canales worked under Carroll.
The final punishment included $600,000 in combined fines, a lost fifth-round pick and a week of organized team activities.
Canales Cites Seattle Experience Amid NFLPA Review
GettyRENTON, WA- CIRCA 2011: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Dave Canales of the Seattle Seahawks poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Renton, Washington. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
Scourton tore the ACL in his right knee during Carolina’s first practice of training camp.
The injury occurred on a wet field, and the NFLPA plans to review video to determine whether the practice remained within the limits of the collective bargaining agreement’s five-day acclimation period.
The Panthers said Sunday they were aware of the review and would cooperate with the union.
Canales spent 13 seasons with the Seahawks from 2010 through 2022, moving from offensive quality control coach to assistant quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
He was on Carroll’s staff for each of the three violations.
His answer places the old Seattle system in a delicate position.
Carroll built practices around speed and competition, an approach that became part of the franchise’s identity during its championship run.
The NFL repeatedly determined that the operation crossed the line established by the CBA.
Canales can now point to those penalties as lessons rather than baggage from a former job.
Seattle Paid an Increasing Price for Practice Violations
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during the first quarter of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field on November 23, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
Seattle’s first violation came in 2012, when the NFL found live contact during an OTA. The Seahawks lost two OTA practices and an additional offseason workout day.
Carroll acknowledged at the time that the team had “stretched” the limit while trying to maintain a competitive practice.
The consequences became more expensive two years later.
Seattle and Carroll were fined more than $300,000 combined after excessive contact during a mandatory minicamp practice. The Seahawks also lost two minicamp practices in 2015.
A third violation in 2016 brought the strongest response.
The NFL fined the team $400,000 and Carroll $200,000, stripped Seattle of a 2017 fifth-round draft pick and canceled the first three OTA practices the following spring.
Carroll said the flagged incident occurred during a helmetless practice when two players collided and suffered injuries.
The NFL and NFLPA independently reviewed the video before agreeing that Seattle had violated the no-contact rule.
The current Seahawks operate under a different coaching structure, so Carolina’s review has no direct effect on them.
But the NFLPA’s review will determine whether Canales’ current team stayed within them.
Seattle Seahawks’ Costly Practice History Resurfaces Amid NFLPA Review