Not long after Alvin Kamara‘s sit-down with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, his disciplinary situation has been clarified. Kamara has been suspended three games for his role in a violent altercation dating back to February 2022 (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
Kamara and Colts cornerback Chris Lammons were involved in an incident which initially resulted in criminal charges being filed. The latter will also be banned for the opening three games of the season, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Kamara and Lammons are not planning to appeal, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets, concluding this matter 18 months after the incident occurred. 
Both players were indicted by a grand jury on felony charges in March, but they reached a settlement with the victim last month. Part of that process included pleading no contest to a misdemeanor, something which brought clarity to his legal status and thus paved the way for the league’s decision on the matter to be made. Kamara was initially feared to be facing a six-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy last season, but delays in court proceedings pushed his case into 2023.
Earlier this week, the 28-year-old met with Goodell to discuss potential punishments. It comes as little surprise that news of the suspension has quickly followed that summit. Kamara will miss games against the Titans, Panthers and Packers as a result of this action. He will be eligible to return to the lineup in Week 4, when the Saints play the Buccaneers.
When speaking to the media earlier today, Kamara repeated his remorse regarding the situation while indicating he was unsure how the league would proceed with respect to supplemental discipline. Now, his fate has been determined and New Orleans can move forward with the other members of its backfield, one which illustrates the team’s awareness a Kamara absence was likely.
The Saints signed veteran Jamaal Williams to a three-year deal in free agency, giving them an experienced backfield presence even without Kamara being available to start the season. New Orleans also selected Kendre Miller in the third round of this year’s draft to give them further insurance. Williams and Miller will carry the load during the first three weeks of the campaign, but Kamara will still be a focal point of the team’s offense upon return.
The former first-rounder failed to earn a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in his six-year career in 2022. Still, he managed to eclipse 1,300 scrimmage yards, something he has done every year in the NFL. Kamara will be hard-pressed to replicate that success with the missed time, but the Saints appear to be well-equipped to handle his short-term absence.
Lammons, meanwhile, signed in Indianapolis recently amidst the uncertainty surrounding his status. His ban will delay his Colts debut, but the team has a limited number of experienced corners especially in the wake of Isaiah Rodgers being suspended for the season and subsequently let go. A veteran of 42 games with the Chiefs, Lammons could see signficant playing time upon reinstatement.
Clearly betting on non-NFL games is much worse than what AK did and is much more deserving of a longer suspension like 6 days
Well, yeah… and obviously breaking someone’s vacuum cleaner (KC’s Willie Gay, last year) is just as bad as hospitalizing a complete stranger after beating him into a coma.
King Roger: 3 games for bot of these rapscallions! Huzzah!!
Justice is certainly not being served. Hopefully the victim is content with his payout and feels it properly compensates him for the damages and pain he endured.
It’s not the NFL’s job to serve justice. Expecting it to do so will always result in disappointment.
Seems light to me, too. But if the victim is satisfied, I guess…
What a joke. I’m guessing he’ll appeal it down to 1-2 games now as well. Crazy how little the NFL/NFLPA respect the normal people who pay their salaries. We are all just collateral damage to their good times. Clearly.
They’re apparently not appealing. Smart move, considering how relatively light their punishment was.
What suspension do you expect Mixon to get? You don’t have to be charged with anything to get a suspension.
Kamara was drafted in the 3rd not 1st.
That’s it?!
Goodell has learned his lesson from the ray rice incident. Delay delay delay then late Friday news dump.
Goodell has to get out of the justice business, especially when he just hands out slaps on the wrist for violence or sexual assault.
Only in the NFL is violently beating someone considered not as bad as the typical 4 game suspension for PEDs while daring to bet on other sports with Draft Kings on you phone at your team facility is considered a crime against humanity and threatening the moral integrity of the league.
It almost seems like the media is trying to downplay it too, the headline on Yahoo made it so any casual observer who didn’t know the story would think Kamara was suspended three games for hitting a man. It’s as if they don’t know TMZ exists. You can probably even find the security video on YouTube. You’d think Goodell would be worried about going too easy on him, like the Ray Rice situation.
I thought this was no big deal, a typical late night club shoving match with a few punches thrown. No, this was a brutal group stomping of an unconscious man. YouTube censors the video for extreme violence (you have to click through a warning) and for once YouTube is right.
Kamara should sit out a season. Someone should sue the NFL over Goodell’s decision. Kamara should not see a football field this year.