It seems defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer's days as a 49er are numbered. Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area is reporting that the team is looking to recoup part of their $1.6MM signing bonus paid to Balmer as a rookie.
The 49ers will seek to recoup at least $960,000 from absent defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer, a first-round draft choice in 2008, a league source told Comcast SportsNet on Thursday.
The 49ers declined comment, but have said they are following standard NFL procedure in dealing with a player who has left the team. Balmer's agent, Gary Wichard, did not respond to multiple messages.
The whole process is something that does indeed happen in the league, but it's never a good process. It's something akin to pulling teeth. It's unclear at the moment exactly what the issue is with Balmer, but he was excused for two of the days he was absent - after that though, he was expected to be around. It's not even clear if he informed anyone with the team that he'd be missing, excused or not.