WILKERSON NEWS:  With OTAs in the rear-view and training camp almost a month away, Jets players have some time to themselves before the start of the 2012 NFL season.  Most of the skill-position players will get together at Mark Sanchez’s for his 3rd Annual Jets West Camp; but for the most part, players will be on their own until they’re required to report for training camp July 26th.  Hopefully, players use this time to mend nagging injuries, bury themselves in their new playbooks & and steer-clear of the police blotter.  This weekend, Jets defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson was unable to maneuver around an appearance in the blotter, as he was involved in a two-vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway early Saturday morning.

Wilkerson’s 2011 Dodge Challenger made contact with a Toyota Siena around 4:30a.m., and was found overturned on the roadway by first responders.

Wilkerson was taken to Newark hospital after the accident and later released having suffered no reported injuries.  As a result of the two-car accident, Muhammad Wilkerson was charged with careless driving and failure to maintain his lane.  There were no citations for drunk driving or driving while impaired, and reports have Wilkerson appearing sober and coherent during the process. 

Other than a few tickets and some SportsCenter embarrassment, it looks like Wilkerson has survived an initially scary situation with scratches… if that, as it appears all were able to walk away from the this one.

If you’re wondering, as am I, why more NFL players don’t take advantage of the so-called “Safe Rides Program” provided by teams, CBS National NFL Insider Mike Freeman penned an interesting article June 4th that details legitimate player-concerns with the “all but dead” program.  Trust issues are among the main reasons outlined in the very intriguing article.  Though it does sound like paranoia, some players actually believe the vehicles used in the program have “hidden microphones and cameras,” and some believe the drivers are “spies” if not for the league, for tabloid newspapers.  None of these needs to be true, but the lack of trust between the players and the league (especially post-lockout) makes these and other over-the-top player suspicions seem plausible.

ELLIS NEWS:  As part of a plea agreement reached with the Hampton Circuit Court, Kendrick Ellis reported to City Jail in Hampton, Virginia on Friday June 22nd and will remain in custody until July 9th, while serving part of a 45-day sentence. The Court has arranged it so Ellis can serve his sentence in two parts, allowing him to be front and center for the beginning of training camp in Cortland July 26th.  Ellis will return to Hampton City Jail to complete his sentence on March 1, 2013.  Kendrick Ellis was initially charged with felony malicious wounding, and as a native Jamaican, could have been deported under U.S. immigration laws if convicted on that charge. The charge stems from an April 10, 2010 incident on the Hampton campus where Ellis assaulted a fellow student.  Ellis maintained he was defending his girlfriend, according to sources familiar with the case.

REVIS NEWS:  Contract talk and holdout news can sit on the back-burner for one weekend as Darrelle Revis hosted a three-day Skills & Drills Clinic at his old stomping grounds, Aliquippa High School, culminating in a Celebrity Basketball Game this past Saturday.  The Skills & Drills Clinic teaches attending youths (ages 6 thru 18) vital fundamentals of the game while they enjoy the tutelage of Darrelle Revis and other volunteering professional athletes, which include past & present NFLers.  While the kids will have all kinds of fun meeting athletes, receiving autographs, listening to guest speakers and enjoying the game of football, there is an overall theme of discipline, teamwork and education that should not be lost.  Both the Free Skills & Drills Clinic and the Celebrity Basketball Game were open to the public.  Admission of $7 was charged for entry into the hoops event and all proceeds went to Nerih, Inc., a nonprofit foundation with a mission of addressing and fulfilling the needs of the community.

 -Joseph Haas

 New York Jets Training Camp in Cortland, NY: Players report July 26th.

 Follow & contact Joseph Haas on twitter @jerseyhaas