Vikings give Seigler a shot
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/column.php?writer=Kerry%20Eggers
Richard Seigler is back in the state of Oregon, carrying a bit of unwanted baggage.
The former all-Pac-10 linebacker at Oregon State is in his first season as a defensive assistant with the Portland State coaching staff.
Seigler was one of the most popular Beaver players of the recent era, a four-year starter under Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley, a player blessed with size, speed and personality.
As a college player, the 6-3, 245-pound Seigler may have been the best of a group of OSU ‘backers who made the NFL, including Nick Barnett, James Allen, Joey LaRocque and perhaps Keaton Kristick.
Now Seigler — who turns 30 in October — is a low-paid assistant on a Division I-AA staff, trying to restore a reputation tainted by a charge that forever changed his life.
In 2007, while a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seigler was arrested and charged with being part of a prostitution operation in his native Las Vegas. He faced felony counts of pandering, providing transportation for a prostitute and living off the earnings of a prostitute. If convicted, he could have faced up to 12 years in prison.
In 2008, all charges were dismissed.
“I was 100 percent innocent,” Seigler says. “They had no choice but to drop all charges against me.”
Seigler — who played one season with San Francisco and two years with Pittsburgh — admits to running with a fast crowd in his hometown during the offseason.
“I was young, had plenty of money, NFL status and a lot of time on my hands,” he says. “Born and raised in Las Vegas, I know a lot of people in that town. I know doctors and lawyers and brain surgeons. I also know people who haven’t chosen the best path to take in life.
“I was going out partying and enjoying the lifestyle, and I got mixed up hanging out with some not-the-best-character guys. I was surrounded by the wrong type of people. That’s how some crazy allegations came about. It turned out that some detectives tried to build up their career by taking down a guy like me. If I were an average Joe, it never would have happened.”
I asked Seigler directly: Did he ever work as a pimp?
“Absolutely not,” he says. “I was a professional football player. There was no reason for me to be involved in something like that. I was making great money. I was doing what I was supposed to do. It was strange how they tried to attach me to things that were going on.”
Seigler found the experience numbing in a number of ways.
“I’m not used to dealing with the judicial system,” he says. “I quickly learned how things can turn ugly. They were trying to send me to the penitentiary. It was serious.
“It cost me a fortune in court and legal fees. I’m still getting it back together financially. And it took a toll on me emotionally.”
A few days after the arrest, he says he received a call from a representative of the Oregon State Federal Credit Union, with whom he had financed a pair of cars.
“She said I needed to return the vehicles because I couldn’t show proof of employment,” he says. “A lot of people wrote me off. It was like, ‘Automatically, he’s guilty.’ ”
When the case closed in 2008, Seigler was persona non grata in the NFL. Though he had played mostly special teams with Pittsburgh, he felt he was in the good graces with the coaching staff and was headed toward a shot at a starting linebacker spot. Soon after his arrest, he was released. No other NFL team even invited him to training camp.
“I felt like I was blackballed,” Seigler says. “If I hadn’t had such strong support from family and friends, people telling me to keep my head up and stay positive, it could have turned my life upside down. I could have fallen into a deep depression and given up on a lot of things, but I stayed true to myself.”
Seigler spent two years with the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts as a defensive end, hoping to attract enough attention to make his way back to the NFL. It never happened. After last season, he hung it up. At 29, his playing career was over.
Coaching was Seigler’s refuge. He volunteered for work at several college summer camps throughout the country. Finally, he accepted an offer to coach safeties at Eastern Oregon. Then first-year PSU coach Nigel Burton — who had coached at OSU during Seigler’s senior season — called. A spot had opened. Was he interested?
“Coach Burton knew I wanted to be here,” Seigler says. “It’s an entry-level position, but it’s not about the money. I’m trying to get this coaching thing down, and I want to learn the ropes. I want to emulate the kind of coach my coach at Oregon State (Greg Newhouse) was.”
Burton says he had respect for Seigler during their time together at OSU, and that he admired the way Seigler paid his way to Portland to work at the Vikings’ camp.
“He coaches with energy and understands the game,” Burton says. “I thought he’d be a great recruiter for us. It was actually an easy decision to hire him.”
Did Burton have to run Seigler’s hire past school President Wim Wiewel, or Athletic Director Torre Chisholm?
“We talked, but I believe they trust me,” Burton says. “They know I did due diligence.
“We run background checks on every person. Between that and talking to Richard, I felt comfortable. It wasn’t like it was somebody I had no idea who they were or what they stood for.”
Burton says he has had no second thoughts about hiring Seigler.
“There are guys who are head coaches in the NFL and college who have been in way more situations than Richard, and that’s the only situation he has ever been in,” Burton says. “It’s unfortunate his name got dragged through the mud. I believe in second chances, but to be honest, this isn’t even a second chance for the guy.
“He is working hard. You can’t kick him out of the office. He wants to be a great coach. He and I are a lot alike in that regard. We love a challenge. You question me and my character, I’ll show you. You question my ability to coach, I’ll show you. That’s how he is. That’s why I love him, and I’m glad he is here.”
I covered Seigler during his final three seasons at Oregon State and found him to be a standup guy. Erickson and Riley both spoke highly of his character. He earned his degree in liberal studies at OSU and for two years was a member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, sitting on the panel that hired current Athletic Director Bob De Carolis.
“I was never in any trouble,” Seigler says. “I did a lot of volunteer work in the community. I’ve tried to do the right things.
“But I learned from this experience. You can’t let people be around who shouldn’t be around. I hope in the future I can talk to kids about this. I can be a model and an avenue for kids to turn to, to learn how you can get yourself in a bad situation.”
Seigler is the father of a 14-month-old daughter, Alina, who is in Las Vegas with her mother, Rebecca Lomprey. They’ll join Seigler in Portland as soon as he finds a place to live.
“I’m proud to call Portland my home now,” he says. “I’ve always loved the Northwest. Coach Burton gave me a huge opportunity. I can never thank him enough for putting his trust in me. I want to help him win the Big Sky championship.”
Seigler hopes that over time, memory of his arrest will fade. He knows it won’t disappear.
“It’s something that will probably follow me forever,” he says. “With everything on the Internet, it’s out there. All I can do is live my life and try to influence these kids in a positive direction.
“I’m not going to let one incident define my life. In the end, maybe this will make me a better person.”
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/column.php?writer=Kerry%20Eggers
Richard Seigler is back in the state of Oregon, carrying a bit of unwanted baggage.
The former all-Pac-10 linebacker at Oregon State is in his first season as a defensive assistant with the Portland State coaching staff.
Seigler was one of the most popular Beaver players of the recent era, a four-year starter under Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley, a player blessed with size, speed and personality.
As a college player, the 6-3, 245-pound Seigler may have been the best of a group of OSU ‘backers who made the NFL, including Nick Barnett, James Allen, Joey LaRocque and perhaps Keaton Kristick.
Now Seigler — who turns 30 in October — is a low-paid assistant on a Division I-AA staff, trying to restore a reputation tainted by a charge that forever changed his life.
In 2007, while a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seigler was arrested and charged with being part of a prostitution operation in his native Las Vegas. He faced felony counts of pandering, providing transportation for a prostitute and living off the earnings of a prostitute. If convicted, he could have faced up to 12 years in prison.
In 2008, all charges were dismissed.
“I was 100 percent innocent,” Seigler says. “They had no choice but to drop all charges against me.”
Seigler — who played one season with San Francisco and two years with Pittsburgh — admits to running with a fast crowd in his hometown during the offseason.
“I was young, had plenty of money, NFL status and a lot of time on my hands,” he says. “Born and raised in Las Vegas, I know a lot of people in that town. I know doctors and lawyers and brain surgeons. I also know people who haven’t chosen the best path to take in life.
“I was going out partying and enjoying the lifestyle, and I got mixed up hanging out with some not-the-best-character guys. I was surrounded by the wrong type of people. That’s how some crazy allegations came about. It turned out that some detectives tried to build up their career by taking down a guy like me. If I were an average Joe, it never would have happened.”
I asked Seigler directly: Did he ever work as a pimp?
“Absolutely not,” he says. “I was a professional football player. There was no reason for me to be involved in something like that. I was making great money. I was doing what I was supposed to do. It was strange how they tried to attach me to things that were going on.”
Seigler found the experience numbing in a number of ways.
“I’m not used to dealing with the judicial system,” he says. “I quickly learned how things can turn ugly. They were trying to send me to the penitentiary. It was serious.
“It cost me a fortune in court and legal fees. I’m still getting it back together financially. And it took a toll on me emotionally.”
A few days after the arrest, he says he received a call from a representative of the Oregon State Federal Credit Union, with whom he had financed a pair of cars.
“She said I needed to return the vehicles because I couldn’t show proof of employment,” he says. “A lot of people wrote me off. It was like, ‘Automatically, he’s guilty.’ ”
When the case closed in 2008, Seigler was persona non grata in the NFL. Though he had played mostly special teams with Pittsburgh, he felt he was in the good graces with the coaching staff and was headed toward a shot at a starting linebacker spot. Soon after his arrest, he was released. No other NFL team even invited him to training camp.
“I felt like I was blackballed,” Seigler says. “If I hadn’t had such strong support from family and friends, people telling me to keep my head up and stay positive, it could have turned my life upside down. I could have fallen into a deep depression and given up on a lot of things, but I stayed true to myself.”
Seigler spent two years with the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts as a defensive end, hoping to attract enough attention to make his way back to the NFL. It never happened. After last season, he hung it up. At 29, his playing career was over.
Coaching was Seigler’s refuge. He volunteered for work at several college summer camps throughout the country. Finally, he accepted an offer to coach safeties at Eastern Oregon. Then first-year PSU coach Nigel Burton — who had coached at OSU during Seigler’s senior season — called. A spot had opened. Was he interested?
“Coach Burton knew I wanted to be here,” Seigler says. “It’s an entry-level position, but it’s not about the money. I’m trying to get this coaching thing down, and I want to learn the ropes. I want to emulate the kind of coach my coach at Oregon State (Greg Newhouse) was.”
Burton says he had respect for Seigler during their time together at OSU, and that he admired the way Seigler paid his way to Portland to work at the Vikings’ camp.
“He coaches with energy and understands the game,” Burton says. “I thought he’d be a great recruiter for us. It was actually an easy decision to hire him.”
Did Burton have to run Seigler’s hire past school President Wim Wiewel, or Athletic Director Torre Chisholm?
“We talked, but I believe they trust me,” Burton says. “They know I did due diligence.
“We run background checks on every person. Between that and talking to Richard, I felt comfortable. It wasn’t like it was somebody I had no idea who they were or what they stood for.”
Burton says he has had no second thoughts about hiring Seigler.
“There are guys who are head coaches in the NFL and college who have been in way more situations than Richard, and that’s the only situation he has ever been in,” Burton says. “It’s unfortunate his name got dragged through the mud. I believe in second chances, but to be honest, this isn’t even a second chance for the guy.
“He is working hard. You can’t kick him out of the office. He wants to be a great coach. He and I are a lot alike in that regard. We love a challenge. You question me and my character, I’ll show you. You question my ability to coach, I’ll show you. That’s how he is. That’s why I love him, and I’m glad he is here.”
I covered Seigler during his final three seasons at Oregon State and found him to be a standup guy. Erickson and Riley both spoke highly of his character. He earned his degree in liberal studies at OSU and for two years was a member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, sitting on the panel that hired current Athletic Director Bob De Carolis.
“I was never in any trouble,” Seigler says. “I did a lot of volunteer work in the community. I’ve tried to do the right things.
“But I learned from this experience. You can’t let people be around who shouldn’t be around. I hope in the future I can talk to kids about this. I can be a model and an avenue for kids to turn to, to learn how you can get yourself in a bad situation.”
Seigler is the father of a 14-month-old daughter, Alina, who is in Las Vegas with her mother, Rebecca Lomprey. They’ll join Seigler in Portland as soon as he finds a place to live.
“I’m proud to call Portland my home now,” he says. “I’ve always loved the Northwest. Coach Burton gave me a huge opportunity. I can never thank him enough for putting his trust in me. I want to help him win the Big Sky championship.”
Seigler hopes that over time, memory of his arrest will fade. He knows it won’t disappear.
“It’s something that will probably follow me forever,” he says. “With everything on the Internet, it’s out there. All I can do is live my life and try to influence these kids in a positive direction.
“I’m not going to let one incident define my life. In the end, maybe this will make me a better person.”
