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June 11, 2010 at 11:31 AM

Leroy Hill headed toward trial at the end of July

Leroy Hill had a brief pre-trial hearing at Issaquah Municipal Court on Friday morning. The most significant development was the scheduling. His misdemeanor domestic violence case was set over for a readiness hearing on July 23. That hearing is essentially to make sure the parties are prepared for trial, which is expected to begin the following week.

Meanwhile, Hill remains away from the team. Coach Pete Carroll was asked about his status on Tuesday, and he said there were no updates, but indicated a resolution could be forthcoming.

"We are getting closer to understanding what the situation is," Carroll said. "We will know more about that pretty soon."

He provided no timeline, though. The Seahawks' training camp is scheduled to begin July 31.

Hill's absence indicates uncertainty in his status with the team. After all, he is missing practice, which Carroll pointed out is significant.

"Practice is hugely important," Carroll said. "There's a new system. There's a whole new approach to how we're doing things. It's certainly hindered his opportunity without question. The other guys have just rocketed ahead with their chances and taking advantage of that. That's part of the competition. You do what you can with your opportunities"

Now, it's important to point out that it's not Hill's choice that he's absent. It's the team's because while Hill is facing a likely league suspension after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession in Georgia earlier this offseason.

But Hill has not been suspended yet, and even if he had, it's not standard for a player facing a suspension to be held out of all offseason practices. For instance, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is back with the Steelers, and he has been suspended for a chunk of the upcoming season.

So what's the impetus for keeping Hill out? Well, it points to the uncertainty of whether the team wants to keep him for the upcoming season.

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Leroy Hill headed toward trial at the end of July

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