FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Linebacker Haason Reddick won't play in the New York Jets' season-opening game Monday night at San Francisco while he remains in a contract dispute with the team.
Coach Robert Saleh acknowledged Saturday “that would be fair” to rule out Reddick, who has not been at the team's facility since the Jets' trade for him from Philadelphia became official on April 1.
The two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, seeking a contract extension, has requested a trade from New York — something general manager Joe Douglas has said the team won't honor.
Saleh earlier in the week wouldn't rule out Reddick for the game, saying he's a veteran who knows how to prepare for the season. But the chances of that dwindled with each day of practice and Reddick remaining a holdout.
“Everyone goes through their own process,” Saleh said. "I'll stand firm that when he gets here, we're going to welcome him with open arms and we're going to love him up and he's going to be a part of this football team. And he's going to help us win a lot of football games.
“He's got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business. I said it when I first got hired that our job is to help these guys make money. So, I always stay clear of it. Our job is to coach him when he gets here and love him up when he gets here.”
Reddick, who has four straight seasons of double-digit sacks, requested a trade from Philadelphia in the offseason when it became clear the Eagles wouldn’t give him a contract extension. The Jets had conversations with Reddick's representatives and felt comfortable enough to make the deal to acquire him.
Reddick, who turns 30 later this month, remains on the reserve/did not report list, where he was placed by the Jets on July 25, the second day of training camp practice.
Saleh insisted he's not frustrated by the situation with Reddick.
“Like I said, he's going through his process,” the coach said. “And when he gets here, we're going to do everything we can to help him get what he wants.”
Reddick's total fines for his holdout have surpassed $5 million, including over $2 million for missing all of training camp. He'll now forfeit almost $800,000 in game checks for each regular-season game he misses.
Backup offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer is out for the game with a hand injury that Saleh said will land him on injured reserve, meaning he'll be sidelined for at least the first four games. Schweitzer, entering his second season with the Jets, is a primary backup at guard.
Second-year linebacker Zaire Barnes, a special teams standout, will miss the game with an ankle injury.
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FILE - Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) in action against New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (83) and offensive tackle Max Mitchell (61) during an NFL football game, Oct. 15, 2023, in East Rutherford NJ. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)
Among the last words heard from the crew of an experimental submersible headed for the wreck of the Titanic were “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation of the journey of the Titan before it imploded, killing all five on board.
The U.S. Coast Guard presented the animation Monday on the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing on the causes of the implosion. Crew aboard the Titan were communicating via text messages with staff aboard the support ship Polar Prince, according to the presentation.
The crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the submersible's depth and weight as it descended. The Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display. One of Titan’s final responses, which became spotty as it descended, was “all good here.”
The Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.
The Titan was left exposed to the elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023, Coast Guard representatives said in their initial remarks Monday. The hull was also never reviewed by any third parties as is standard procedure, they said. That and the submersible's unconventional design subjected the Titan to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.
The hearing’s first witness, OceanGate’s former engineering director, Tony Nissen, testified Monday that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018, and that might have compromised its hull. Nissen said he was fired in 2019 when he wouldn’t let the submersible go to the Titanic, and he told Rush the submersible was “not working like we thought it would.”
Nissen said the submersible later went through other tests and adjustments before its subsequent dives to the Titanic. However, he testified that he was asked to pilot the submersible and replied: “I’m not getting in it.”
Nissen added that Rush could be difficult to work for and was often very concerned with costs and project schedules, among other issues. He said Rush would fight for what he wanted, which often changed day to day. He added that he tried to keep his clashes with Rush behind closed doors so that others in the company wouldn’t be aware.
“Most people would eventually just back down to Stockton,” he said.
The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard's commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who led the hearing. “But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”
Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion.
Also scheduled to speak were the company's former finance director, Bonnie Carl; and former contractor Tym Catterson.
Some key OceanGate representatives are not scheduled to testify. They include Rush's widow, Wendy Rush, who was the company's communications director.
The Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations, said Melissa Leake, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard. She added that it's common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”
Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; former operations director, David Lochridge; and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, Leake said.
OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigations since they began, the statement said.
The implosion also killed veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
The Titan lost contact with its support vessel about two hours after it made its final dive later. When it was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.
The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The Coast Guard said in July that the hearing would delve into “all aspects of the loss of the Titan,” including both mechanical considerations as well as compliance with regulations and crewmember qualifications.
This story has been edited to clarify that “all good here” was one of the last things heard from the submersible, not necessarily the very last thing heard.
Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen, left, speaks with Nicole Emmons, right, during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen speaks with another Coast Guard member during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Jason Neubauer, board chairman, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pauses for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pause for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing take an oath inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)
