The latest sentencing date for Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks in his insider trading case is set for Sept. 25, a spokesperson with the United States District Court's Eastern District of Pennsylvania told ESPN.
The new date falls on the Wednesday of Week 4 of the NFL's regular season. However, it's not uncommon for sentencing dates to be changed at the request of either the defense or the U.S. attorney. Kendricks' sentencing date has already been pushed back three times after being scheduled for Jan. 23, Jan. 25. and April 4.
The 28-year-old Kendricks pleaded guilty last September to insider trading, then signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks a week later while Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright were injured. One source familiar with the situation said in October that Kendricks could be facing 30 to 37 months in prison -- as had been reported -- based on federal guidelines and the amount of money involved in his case.
Coach Pete Carroll said in June that the Seahawks "do expect him to be on the team this year" but declined to get into specifics of Kendricks' situation. He's projected to start at strongside linebacker for Seattle.
"There's not much that I can say that's going to be proper at this time," Carroll said in June. "Everything's moving along and he's real optimistic about how things are going. But really not too much to report. I can't tell you much more than that."
Kendricks returned to practice Tuesday after he was absent Monday. Carroll said of his absence: "Mike's got a business thing he's working on, gotta take care of."
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission complaint, a Goldman Sachs investment banking analyst named Damilare Sonoiki illegally fed Kendricks information in 2014 about corporate acquisitions that his bank was advising before those deals were publicly announced. The complaint alleges that those tips helped Kendricks make about $1.2 million in illegal profits by purchasing securities in four companies that were about to be acquired.
Kendricks said in a statement that while he didn't fully understand the details of the illegal trades, he knew it was wrong and that he "wholeheartedly" regretted his actions.
Sonoiki pleaded guilty to securities fraud in September 2018.
Sonoiki's sentencing date has been moved from July 15 to Sept. 30, according to a court spokesperson.
Kendricks appeared in three games for Seattle before serving an eight-game NFL suspension. His season ended in his first game back because of leg and knee injuries that landed him on IR.
The Seahawks brought Kendricks back on a one-year, team-friendly deal that reflected the uncertainty over his situation. He received no signing bonus and no guaranteed money. The $4.5 million base value of his deal includes $2 million in per-game active roster bonuses plus two bonuses worth $250,000 apiece that are tied to Kendricks reporting to training camp -- which he did -- and being on the 53-man roster in Week 1. He could make an additional $1 million in incentives tied to playing time and sacks, bringing the max value of the deal to $5.5 million.