Raiders rookie D.J. Hayden sidelined

Oakland Raiders first-round cornerback D.J. Hayden is sidelined for a preseason opener Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Hayden has a minor pulled hamstring, but the primary reason the former University of Houston standout wont' play is due to his offseason abdominal surgery.

"We'll see where he's at when we come back to work Wednesday," Raiders coach Dennis Allen told reporters. "It's more of a relation to the surgery that he had this offseason as opposed to the heart condition."

Allen is referring to Hayden's emergency surgery last November when he tore the inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart, in practice with doctors saving his life.

Subsequently, Hayden had surgery in May to remove scar tissue from his abdominal region.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Aaron Wilson
Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post, his second stint at the Post. He has previously written for Pro Football Talk and FOX Sports-Scout. Entering his 13th year covering the Baltimore Ravens, he's a beat writer for The Baltimore Sun. Wilson has also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

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