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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Stokes gets permission to seek trade
Thursday April 03, 2003
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) The San Francisco 49ers gave receiver
J.J. Stokes permission Thursday to seek a trade.
Stokes, a perennial underachiever who lost his job as the 49ers'
No. 2 receiver to Tai Streets last year, probably will be released
after June 1 if his agents can't arrange a deal.
``That does not necessarily mean that he won't be back with the
49ers next year,'' general manager Terry Donahue said of the club's
decision to allow Stokes to pursue a trade. ``We'll just have to
wait and see what happens.''
Stokes had 32 receptions for 332 yards and a touchdown last
season while starting eight games. He began the season as the
49ers' top receiving option behind All-Pro Terrell Owens, but
Stokes was slowed by injuries that allowed Streets to take his job.
An eight-year veteran, Stokes has been a bust since San
Francisco drafted him in the first round in 1995. He has 327 career
receptions for 4,139 yards and 30 touchdowns, but injuries and
inconsistent play have limited him to a minor role in the offense.
Last summer, Stokes agreed to a significant salary reduction
that allowed him to remain with the 49ers, who were prepared to cut
him before training camp.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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