Yesterday we heard about Joseph Randle going “awol” for being demoted in favor of Darren McFadden. Today we are learning that Randle may have actually been upset over news that he could be facing suspension from the league.
Todd Archer reported:
Randle met with NFL investigators this summer and within the past week, and the NFL determined that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, which will now carry consequences. In a best-case scenario, Randle will only be fined. But more likely, he’ll be suspended, quite possibly for multiple games, for a February incident in Wichita, Kansas, where Randle was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after police received a call about domestic violence with a weapon after an incident with Randle and the mother of his son. (Archer, ESPN)
The NFL is taking any domestic disputes seriously, and they did not forget about this incident from February, and now it appears the discipline could be coming down 8 months later.
So, if Randle is suspended how many games would he miss?
The league passed a new personal conduct policy, and anything related to domestic violence carries a 6-game suspension without pay — that would be enough to make Randle upset without a doubt. Taking someone’s money away would make anyone upset. CBS has a nice flowchart illustrating the new personal conduct policy, read it here.
We don’t know if the suspension is imminent, but the fact that this news is breaking could mean the discipline could fall very soon.
The Cowboys currently have four backs on the team:
- Darren McFadden
- Joseph Randle
- Christine Michael
- Rod Smith
I would not be surprised if the Cowboys workout some more backs if in fact Randle gets a multi-game suspension. Gus Johnson was with the Cowboys twice, but is currently on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad, so look for a different guy to be brought in to add depth.
[Update]
Rapoport suggests the potential suspension could be less than 6 games:
Joseph Randle faces a 1- or 2-game suspension for the incident. He didn’t violate domestic violence policy. It’s firearm & conduct related
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2015
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Goodell has a track record of throwing the book at players, as in a max suspension of 6-games, and then the player appeals to get it lowered. We’ll continue to monitor the situation.
The Cowboys decision to forgo drafting a running back has haunted them all season, and it’ll be atop their offseason moves in 2016.
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