Wife of NFL Player Alleges Raiders Didn’t Block for Derek Carr Because He Opposed Anthem Protests

We normally don’t indulge in conspiracy theories, however, as far as conspiracy theories go, this one’s a little too juicy to just ignore.

Miko Grimes, wife of NFL cornerback Brent Grimes, recently appeared on Revolt TV. During that appearance, she shared a story about how the Oakland Raiders offensive line deliberately allowed quarterback Derek Carr to get hit, and eventually injured, during their Week 3 match-up against the Washington Redskins.

If you recall, Week 3 came right after President Trump called NFL protesters out at a rally in Alabama. Over 300 NFL players, coaches, and owners, protested in some form or fashion. According to Grimes, the Raiders offensive line, the only all-black offensive line in the NFL, took exception to Carr (who is white) saying that they shouldn’t kneel in protest.

An argument ensued, and, according to Grimes, the offensive line decided to abandon Carr to the Redskins pass rush.

Here’s a portion of Grimes’ interview:

Raiders OL didn't block with full effort for QB Derek Carr after he told him not to kneel according to wife of NFL CB Brent Grimes @RevoltTV pic.twitter.com/5y60Zfgikx

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2017

There’s a lot to unpack there. First, for the record, Raiders offensive tackle Donald Penn denies that the line allowed Carr to get hit. Penn tweeted, “It’s crazy how people will make up lies and tell a story so false and untrue 2 get them some attention. I hope it was worth it. All lies.”

So, a strong denial from a relevant source has been made. However, since we’re wearing our conspiracy theory hats today, let’s take a look at the numbers.

In 2016, the Raiders allowed the fewest sacks of any team in the NFL, going ten games allowing one sack, or fewer. Going into their Week 3 match-up against the Redskins, the Raiders had only allowed two sacks in their first two games, both of them coming in Week 1 with a banged-up offensive line.

Against the Redskins, the Raiders gave up four sacks and six quarterback hits. Double the amount of sacks they had allowed in the first two games.

To put that into perspective, the Redskins, a team with an improving but by no means great defensive front, notched four sacks in their first two games. Meaning, they equaled their sack total from the first two weeks in one game against the Raiders. On the other hand, the Redskins notched four sacks and nine quarterback hits the next week when they took on the Chiefs.

Does that prove Grimes’ story to be true? Absolutely not.

What it does prove, though, is that the Raiders offensive line had an uncharacteristically awful performance during the exact time when Grimes alleges this anthem protest, locker-room incident occurred.

Take from that what you will.