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June 15, 2010 at 1:20 PM

Leroy Hill returns after talk with commissioner

Linebacker Leroy Hill is still facing an assault charge in Issaquah, remains on probation in Georgia and has not been disciplined by the league for either of his arrests.

But on Tuesday, he was back on the field with his teammates for the first time in two months, practicing for the first time after he was invited to return to the team.

So what spurred the Seahawks' decision to bring him back now?

"It's just gone through enough time," coach Pete Carroll said. "Really, the report has come back from the commissioner's meetings and all that, their evaluations. That doesn't mean anything is concluded at all. He still has court appearances and things ahead, but just playing off the commissioner's feel for that, taking the lead from him, and so we feel like we're comfortable now, doing this, and we'll just take it one day at a time when it gets to other decisions."

Hill met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this offseason, and while there was no ruling on any punishment Hill may still receive, it's apparent that the Seahawks are now moving forward with the expectation that he will be on the team in the upcoming season.

"We wanted to know where the league stood on this, and what kind of stance they were going to take," Carroll said. "They haven't come to any final conclusion yet, either, but they did give us enough information that we know how to progress from here. He wants to be part of this thing, and he's ready to get going. In the meantime, we're going to try to bring him back as fast as we can."

Hill said he felt just like a rookie at Tuesday's practice right down to the eagerness he felt to get on the field.

"I was just happy they called me to come back and be with my teammates," Hill said.

Hill spent the day working out with the reserve linebackers. Starting middle linebacker Lofa Tatup also sat out practice, leaving Aaron Curry, Will Herring and David Hawthorne as the first-unit linebackers.

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