Dion Jordan Reinstated, Suspended Again
4:02pm: Salguero confirms (via Twitter) that Jordan’s new suspension is the result of a separate positive test.
3:54pm: As part of the league’s changes to its drug policy, Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan had his previous four-game suspension for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances lifted, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). However, according to Beasley (via Twitter), Jordan has received a new four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse.
It’s not clear whether Jordan’s new suspension is a result of the same violation for which he was initially penalized, or if it’s the result of a separate infraction — I would assume the latter though, since the NFL has been willing to retroactively wipe out a number of suspensions that were handed out under the old policy. The league’s new policy on substance abuse calls for a four-game ban for a fourth violation. If Jordan were to fail another test, the penalty would be a 10-game suspension.
“I am currently undergoing treatment to address my situation,” Jordan said in a statement, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “I am working hard to become a better man and to make better choices in the future. I am especially looking forward to returning to the team. I also want to thank my family, Coach [Joe] Philbin and the Miami Dolphins organization for their support.”
Per Salguero, Dolphins aren’t happy about the new suspension for Jordan, which will allow him to return to the team a month from tomorrow. However, the club indicated in a statement of its own that it will “continue to support and work with [Jordan] as he takes advantage of all available resources during this time.”
NFL To Make Changes To Personal Conduct Policy
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed reporters and fielded questions at an afternoon press conference in New York today, and vowed that the league will make changes to its personal conduct policy. According to Goodell, “nothing is off the table” when it comes to potential changes, which he expects to discuss with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. The league hopes to have the process completed by the Super Bowl.
Additionally, Goodell indicated that he’ll be establishing a “conduct committee” to review possible changes and implement the best possible practices. The experts hired by the NFL will also review the commissioner’s role in various processes — by suggesting that nothing’s off the table, Goodell hinted that perhaps he may cede some power when it comes to disciplinary decisions.
While Goodell pledged to be transparent as the NFL considers changes to its personal conduct guidelines and other policies, the commissioner didn’t get into many specifics regarding the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, and Greg Hardy situations after opening up the floor for questions. Goodell deferred to the appeal and legal process in those cases, declining to comment on issues such as what Rice initially told the league was on the elevator video that became public last Monday, or how TMZ got the footage with “one phone call” when the NFL couldn’t.
Goodell also said that he has not considered stepping down from his job as NFL commissioner. “I am focused on doing my job. We have work to do. That’s my focus,” Goodell said.
Substance Abuse Policy Finalized, Gordon Ban Reduced To 10 Games
After announcing changes to the league’s PED policy earlier this week, the NFL and NFLPA have issued a joint statement indicating the substance abuse policy has been updated as well. As part of the new policy, Josh Gordon and LaVon Brazill, who is currently playing for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, will have their suspensions reduced to 10 games, down from a full year.
Here are the other pertinent updates to the substance abuse policy, per the press release:
- Two discipline stages will be added for marijuana positives, as follows: a first violation will result in referral to the substance abuse program, as is the case today. Subsequent violations will result in a two-game fine, a four-game fine, a four-game suspension, a 10-game suspension, and one-year banishment. The new stages are the two-game fine and the 10-game suspension. In addition, the threshold for a positive marijuana test will be raised from 15 ng/ml to 35 ng/ml, reflecting recent actions taken by other testing organizations.
- Discipline for DUI and related offenses will be increased. A first DUI offense, absent aggravating circumstances, will result in a two-game suspension without pay. A second offense will result in a suspension of at least eight games without pay. In either case, a more lengthy suspension may be imposed if there are aggravating circumstances.
- Appeals of positive tests in both the substance abuse and performance enhancing drug programs (including HGH) will be heard by third-party arbitrators jointly selected appointed and retained by the NFL and NFLPA. Appeals will be processed more expeditiously under uniform rules and procedures.
NFC Notes: Hester, Sproles, Graham, Bears
Devin Hester was one of many Falcons to reach the end zone last night, scoring on a record-setting punt return and a running play. However, it’s his role as a wide receiver that has him more happy with the Falcons than he was in his last few seasons with the Bears.
“I wasn’t happy the last three or four years in Chicago because things wasn’t going the way I expect,” Hester said yesterday, according to Adam Hoge of WGN Radio (Twitter link). “I would always have a great camp, have all the receivers saying and coaches saying I had the best camp of all the receivers. And once the season start off, I’m not there.”
As Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets, there were a few teams eyeing Hester in free agency that felt the veteran wasn’t worth the $10MM contract he signed with Atlanta, but it’s looking like a good investment for the Falcons so far. Here’s more from around the NFC:
- So far, the deal that saw Darren Sproles land with Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round pick looks like a steal for the Eagles, and the veteran running back is happy with his situation. As he told reporters on Thursday, including Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com, Sproles wasn’t initially informed of his impending release by the Saints, but when it turned out that the Eagles were one of a handful of teams interested in trading for him, he told his agent to “make that happen.” Per Sproles, five teams explored acquiring him, and the Eagles were one of the three with serious interest.
- Within the same piece, McManus takes a look at the unusual case of Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham, who has a chance to make $2.5MM in not likely to be earned incentives, but will need to see a few more snaps to have a chance at that money.
- The Bears worked out a long list of free agents this week, and Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com passes along the names in a pair of tweets: Blake Annen (TE), Derek Cox (CB), Brandon Ghee (CB), Mike Harris (CB), Lavelle Hawkins (WR), Kendall James (CB), Derrick Martin (S), David Paulson (TE), Brad Sorensen (QB), Jordan Sullen (CB), Asa Watson (TE), Damian Williams (WR), and Kyle Williams (WR).
- Linebacker Jamar Chaney tried out for the Saints this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). We heard yesterday that New Orleans also took a look at veteran linebacker Pat Angerer.
Lions Restructure Reggie Bush’s Contract
FRIDAY, 12:16pm: The Lions converted about $2.333MM of Bush’s 2014 base salary to a signing bonus, according to Pelissero (via Twitter). That means the move created somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.55MM in ’14 cap room for the team.
THURSDAY, 2:42pm: The Lions have reworked the contract of running back Reggie Bush in order to create some cap space, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News confirms Pelissero’s report, adding (via Twitter) that it’s a simple restructure, with a portion of Bush’s 2014 base salary having been converted to a signing bonus.
The exact figures on Bush’s restructure aren’t clear — Pelissero notes that Bush is making $3.5MM this year, but that was the veteran running back’s base salary prior to the move. In any case, the cap savings will be minimal. Even if Bush’s salary was reduced to the minimum, with the difference being converted into a prorated bonus, it would create less than $2MM in cap savings.
Nonetheless, even that modest a figure should be valuable for the Lions, who don’t have a ton of breathing room under the cap, according to Over The Cap’s figures. The restructuring likely isn’t a precursor to a major signing or extension, but rather will allow the team to add reinforcements as necessary throughout the season.
Bush remains under contract with the Lions through 2016.
Latest On Roger Goodell
After more than a week of silence, commissioner Roger Goodell will speak at a New York press conference at 3:00pm eastern time today, according to a press release. Goodell will address the league’s recent domestic violence issues, as well as the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and will field questions from reporters at the presser.
The announcement of today’s press conference comes on the heels of a memo being sent to all 32 teams by the league office this morning regarding the NFL’s efforts to further educate teams and players on domestic violence and sexual assault. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com has the full statement, which reads, in part:
“We are proceeding to implement broad educational programs within our league. Starting within the next 30 days, all league and team personnel – including executives, coaches, players and staff – will participate in education sessions on domestic violence and sexual assault. These initial sessions will begin to provide the men and women of the NFL with information and tools to understand and recognize domestic violence and sexual assault.”
The memo goes on to note that the league intends to “dedicate significant resources to raise awareness on the
subjects of domestic violence and sexual assault, including support for victims.”
Despite the recent troubles surrounding the league, there continues to be no consideration given to the possibility of replacing Goodell as commissioner, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Graham has spoken off the record to several NFL team executives over the last few days, and has repeatedly been told that the league is “undivided” in its support of Goodell. Graham points to the recent sale of the Bills for $1.4 billion as proof that the league’s owners are still making plenty of money with Goodell at the helm, adding that “status quo is highly profitable.”
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Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this post, adding the latest moves to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Raiders have parted ways with linebacker Kaelin Burnett and defensive end Shelby Harris, the team announced today (Twitter link). Burnett had previously been placed on injured reserve, so he was cut from that list with an injury settlement. Harris’ release, on the other hand, means that the team opens up a spot on its 53-man roster.
- The Saints swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, announcing that linebacker Todd Davis has replaced defensive back Pierre Warren (Twitter link). Davis had worked out for the Seahawks earlier this week.
Cardinals Sign Parmele; Dwyer To NFI List
1:55pm: Though they have the option not to, the Cardinals will pay Dwyer while he’s on the NFI list, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
1:49pm: After deactivating him yesterday, the Cardinals have now removed Jonathan Dwyer from their 53-man roster, placing him on the reserve/non-football illness list, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link), the designation, which gives the team the option of not paying the running back, was made because there’s concern regarding Dwyer’s mental health. The police report of a domestic incident involving Dwyer and his family contains references to suicide, as Somers notes.
The Cardinals have replaced Dwyer on their roster with free agent running back Jalen Parmele, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The former Raven and Jaguar was with the Cardinals during the preseason, but was a casualty when the team cuts its roster down to 53 players for the regular season.
In a related move, the Cardinals have also made a change to their practice squad, signing former Colts running back Kerwynn Williams to replace running back Chris Rainey, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes (via Twitter), Rainey also has a history of domestic violence.
NFC Notes: Bucs, Sproles, Simpson, Lions
One of the NFL’s biggest spenders in the offseason, the Buccaneers made a significant splash in free agency, adding Josh McCown, Anthony Collins, Michael Johnson, Alterraun Verner, and others. So far, that spending spree hasn’t had much of an impact on the field, as the Bucs head into tonight’s game in Atlanta with an 0-2 record. As John Clayton of ESPN.com observes, that’s not unusual. In recent years, any of the teams that spend most lavishly in free agency don’t see their records improve much – or at all – the following season.
Here’s more from around the NFC, as look forward to tonight’s matchup of NFC South squads:
- Redskins head coach Jay Gruden confirmed this week that his team had some interest in acquiring Darren Sproles when the Saints shopped him earlier this year, adding that Washington was disappointed to see the versatile back land with a division rival (link via Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com). “It didn’t work out for us, and when you find out it’s not going to work out with us, you dang sure want him to go to the AFC somewhere,” Gruden said. “But unfortunately he went to Philly.”
- Vikings wideout Jerome Simpson is on track to return from suspension next week, but he’s dealing with additional legal issues, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Simpson has a November arraignment scheduled for misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession, driving with an open bottle and violating limited license restrictions, related to a July incident in Bloomington, Minnesota.
- As Kyle Meinke of MLive.com explains, the Lions could have opted to sign Champ Bailey or another notable free agent defensive back, but added cornerback Danny Gorrer instead for two reasons — he’s familiar with the team’s scheme, and he’s versatile enough to play both inside and outside.
- When the Packers elected to lock up Sam Shields to a $39MM contract during the offseason, games like this week’s contest against Calvin Johnson and the Lions were the ones the club had in mind, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.