Report: Seahawks only given warning for not disclosing Sherman's injury

Drama surrounding the Seattle Seahawks' injury report violation proved to be much ado about nothing.

After investigating the club for not disclosing Richard Sherman's knee injury over the second half of the season, the NFL has opted to issue nothing more than a warning to the Seahawks, a source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Seattle's violation, Garafolo adds, was considered to be the result of a "misinterpretation" of league rules.

A previous report, which surfaced shortly after the injury was inadvertently discussed by head coach Pete Carroll, suggested the Seahawks could be stripped of a second-round pick as punishment.

Any such punishment - even simply changing the pick Seattle is already surrendering as part of offseason workout violations from a fifth-rounder to one earlier in the draft - could have set a dangerous precedent.

The NFL also looked into a similar situation toward the end of the playoffs with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Le'Veon Bell. When it was revealed that the groin injury that forced Bell to the sidelines in the AFC title game had actually been a lingering issue, the league would likely have had to respond in an equally strong manner.

With the Seahawks avoiding any sort of significant punishment, it's likely safe to assume the Steelers will do the same.

The league will now presumably take steps to reinforce the injury report rules so as to avoid similar situations in the future.