Raiders coach Pete Carroll confirmed that Maxx Crosby left the building after the edge rusher was told he would not play in the final two games of the season.
“He said, ‘I’d like to get out here,’ so I said, ‘Get out of here,’ and he took off,” Carroll said, via video from Vegas Sports Today, later adding, “It was exactly like you would think he would do, and he should do, and I agree with him a 1000 percent on how he responded.”
Crosby has been on the injury report since Week 12, missing practice time each week since then with his knee issue. He did not practice this week.
But Crosby had played every game.
Carroll said Crosby’s injury is the reason the Raiders have pulled the plug on the Pro Bowler’s season.
“We talked when he was getting out of here,” Carroll said. “He’s been fighting it so hard for so long. He’s been fighting this thing for nine weeks, whenever Kansas City was. Each week he has done everything you could possibly imagine a guy could do to play, and he’s been able to. They’ve worked with him to get through it. But after an evaluation we did Monday or Tuesday or whenever it was, it just looks too bad.
“He didn’t want to take the news like that. I didn’t want to take the news like that. So we just worked our way through to get to this point. He’s been practicing on Fridays. If we’d have let him, he’d have been out there, and he would not have hesitated, But he knows he’s banged up.”
The five games Crosby missed last season with an ankle injury that required surgery are the only games he has missed in his career. He will now miss the final two games of this season for the 2-13 Raiders, who play the Giants with the loser in line for the No. 1 overall pick.
The five-time Pro Bowler finishes his seventh season with 73 tackles and 10 sacks.
The question now becomes: What is Crosby’s future in Las Vegas?
Carroll said he has no concern — “none” — about the Raiders’ decision affecting Crosby’s relationship with him or the team.
