Eagles Change Course, Will Pay Patterson

The Eagles had a change of heart today and have come to an agreement with Mike Patterson, agent J.R Rickert told Tim McManus.

“I’m pleased that the Eagles and Howie Roseman in particular were able to work on this with us and come to a resolution,” Rickert said. “I attribute the long-standing relationship we have had over the years as the reason we were able to do it.”

A league source tells McManus that Patterson will receive the full $150,000.

Just yesterday, the Eagles placed Patterson on the non-football injury/illness list. Patterson was hospitalized last week with viral pneumonia and will not play again this season. His agents went public and criticized the Eagles for docking his pay.

“This is not the way an organization should treat a player who has been a solid citizen and a leader on the team and somebody who does nothing but contribute to your club on and off the field,” Rickert said yesterday.

“This is not the message you want to send of how you deal with people. …This is a guy who had a serious health condition and  fought his way back because he wants to contribute to the team.”

The team felt the need to do some damage control yesterday, releasing a statement that simply said, “Our number one priority is to get Mike Patterson well enough to get back on the football field. He has worked hard this year to get back and has our full support as an organization.”

During training camp in 2011, Patterson suffered a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain AVM. Patterson played the entire year and had brain surgery in the offseason. He returned to the field in Week 9 against the Saints.

Patterson, 29, has appeared in 115 games with the Eagles in eight NFL seasons. He’s under contract through 2016.

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