Bills’ Dareus says 4-game suspension from missed drug test
Dareus will miss the first four games of the season and isn’t eligible to rejoin the team until October 3, a day after Buffalo plays at New England.
In a team statement the Bills expressed how disappointing it was that Dareus had put himself first with his lack of action regarding the drug test he missed. The biggest question about this entire ordeal is not whether Lawson is guilty or not, but how a domestic violence charge from the National Football League would qualify as a one-game suspension rather than the minimum six in the player conduct policy.
In July 2014, Dareus was allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program for charges stemming from the traffic stop.
– In other news, linebacker Manny Lawson vehemently denied a report Tuesday that he was involved in an offseason domestic violence incident and is facing a one-game suspension.
Dareus can continue practicing and playing through the preseason.
“We all care a great deal for Marcell”, Ryan said.
Who knows what the substance was.
“I really don’t have much to say”, he said.
Dareus said he apologized to his teammates and feels embarrassed about the second suspension. There are some people that will never give him the benefit of the doubt anymore, but for the majority of people it’s more of a show me thing.
Neither team officials nor Dareus was available to comment because the announcement came after practice at the Bills training camp facility outside Rochester. However, Bryant lacks the interior pass rush presence, registering only 2.5 sacks through 43 regular-season games.
The Bills are already thin on the defensive line, as rookie linebacker Shaq Lawson is on the PUP list after shoulder surgery back in May.
NFL Insider Adam Schefter broke the news that Dareus would be suspended four games due to a violation of the NFL’s drug policy, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network revealed it was a marijuana-related offense.
That doesn’t mean Whaley’s not concerned about the actions of a player who a year ago signed a seven-year, $104 million contract extension.
So, perhaps Rex Ryan and the Bills weren’t in the mood to blame anybody other than the guy responsible for the latest mess, Dareus.
Dareus was the third overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Alabama, and is considered a critical cog in the heart of Ryan’s 3-4 defense.