Las Vegas Raiders Release Player After He Gave ‘Playful’ Unwanted Kiss to Teammate’s Head: Report

NEED TO KNOW

• The Las Vegas Raiders announced last week that the team decided to cut defensive tackle Christian Wilkins
• Wilkins, 29, had just signed a four-year, $110 million contract with the team last offseason
• ESPN reported that Wilkins gave a "playful" kiss to a teammate's head during a meeting last week, which partly led to his dismissal

A Las Vegas Raiders player who was unexpectedly cut by the team last week was reported to have kissed a fellow player on top of the head during a team meeting, leading to an human resources complaint that partly played into his ultimate release, according to a report from ESPN.

The Raiders made the surprise announcement last week that the team had decided to cut defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, just one year after signing him to a lucrative contract extension.

At the time, the Raiders said in a statement that the team demanded “excellence on and off the field" while announcing its decision to cut the 29-year-old defensive lineman.

However, ESPN reported Monday that Wilkins was also facing an HR complaint within the franchise at the time of his release, tied to an incident that reportedly happened last week between him and another unidentified player during a team meeting.

The outlet reported that a source inside the locker room said Wilkins gave his teammate a “playful” kiss on the head, which the player did not receive lightly. It’s unclear how exactly the player responded to Wilkins’ kiss in the moment, but ESPN reported that he was upset with the incident. An HR complaint was later filed against Wilkins with the Raiders’ front office.

ESPN reported that the incident was “not the sole reason” for Wilkins’ dismissal from the team, though it appears to have played a role in the franchise’s decision.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Raiders for comment.

Last week, ESPN reported that Wilkins had been handling his return from a 2024 injury to his foot in a way that the Raiders did not agree with, which also played a role in him being cut from the team.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that the team “took a long time to make our decision” to cut Wilkins, adding, “I think there was no clear path to his return, and so we just had to move on.”

"We have extremely high expectations,” Carroll said. “I don't even know any other way to think. I don't care for what year or team it is; it doesn't matter to me. You're either going for it or you are not.”

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Because of the issues the team had with how Wilkins was treating his recovery, the Raiders were able to void the remaining $35.2 million left on his contract, according to ESPN.

CBS Sports reported that Wilkins had signed a four-year, $110 million contract with the Raiders last offseason.

Wilkins filed a grievance with the NFL Player’s Association over his contract termination, according to the outlet.

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