The NFL suspended Buffalo Bills star defensive tackle Marcell Dareus for the first four games this season – the same punishment Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will serve for “Deflategate” – after the Bills’ highest-paid player violated the league’s substance abuse policy for the second time in two years. “But just believing in the coaches and the players believing in me, I just went out there and played and the nervousness just kind of went away”. The program included participation in the NFL’s substance-abuse program.
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Dareus was asked what he could do to prevent further issues after two suspensions. “Y’all will see me when I get back”.
“I’m frustrated and disappointed, as is everybody in this organization”, said Bills head coach Rex Ryan.
“We will support him as an organization in any way we possibly can”, Ryan said. “I don’t know where and how or why that would come up about me, but we’re going to look into it”. “He has skillsets that I can learn from, and it’s gonna help me out, and I’m gonna try to help him out”.
“He’s gonna enter our family in the wide receiver corps and we’re all gonna compete and you know, competition makes us all rise”, Agholor said. “Marcell is a good person too, but he’s got to make better choices, he’s got to make better decisions, you know?” Fresh off an impressive 2015 season with Buffalo – his first as an National Football League starter – Tyrod Taylor and the organization have agreed to a six-year extension, fully entrenching him in their eyes as the franchise pivot. But the majority of people, it’s more of a show-me thing.
Dareus said he found out about the suspension after Saturday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s the truth though, and even players who are big-name and big-money guys like Dareus or Bell need to hear it.
Now, it appears both Brady and Dareus will be watching that game from home. It’s about putting your team in a position that’s harder than it needs to be.
Dareus is five-year starter since being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft. He was a Pro Bowler in 2013 and an All-Pro in 2014.
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Green-Beckham was a second-round pick past year after he was dismissed from the team at Missouri and transferred to Oklahoma, where he didn’t play a down. He has a $7.9 million base salary for the 2016 season. There’s no language in Dareus’ contract that voids the guaranteed money due to suspension in future years of the seven-year, $102.3 million pact that he signed in 2015, which would leave the Bills with sizable dead money on their cap if they did want to part ways with Dareus.
