Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Kentwan Balmer Located, But Disappearance Not Resolved
By ZAC BOYER
ASHBURN – Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said Saturday that defensive end Kentwan Balmer, who suddenly left the team nearly two weeks ago, has been reached by phone.
Balmer
Shanahan did not say when Balmer was contacted or by whom, though he said as recently as Monday the team had not been able to locate him. According to a team source, phone numbers Balmer provided the Redskins had been disconnected.
Balmer reported for the team’s walkthrough the morning of Aug. 1 but left the team’s facility mid-day. Shanahan later said Balmer cleaned out the hotel room he had been staying in for training camp.
Attempts to reach Balmer both directly and through family members have been unsuccessful. A recording on one phone number supposedly used by Balmer said voicemail for the number had not been set up and therefore could not receive messages.
Grady Williams, who coached Balmer at Weldon (N.C.) High School, also said early last week he had tried to reach both Balmer and his mother, but neither line was in service.
Several players expressed their concern for Balmer, who signed with the Redskins late last season, after word of his disappearance spread. The main concern within the team, according to the source, was for the player’s safety.
Balmer also left camp while in San Francisco in 2010 and was absent for four days, and later said he had been excused for personal reasons. Mike Singletary, then the 49ers’ head coach, contended Balmer was never given permission to leave, and he was traded to Seattle within a week.
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Balmer was drafted out of North Carolina in the first round in 2008. He was officially listed as “reserve/left camp” by the team shortly after his disappearance, freeing the Redskins to use his roster spot on right guard Tony Moll.
