The Arizona Cardinals will be without one of their best defensive players for the entire 2014 season as Daryl Washington has been suspended for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Washington, the Cardinals starting middle linebacker, was expected to lead the defense after Karlos Dansby signed with the Browns as a free agent. Now they must scramble to fill the hole with the best free agents off the market and after the NFL Draft has been completed.
In a statement released by his agent, Washington admitted to taking marijuana.
“It’s completely unacceptable that Daryl Washington has once again put us in this position,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said in a statement.
“We all know what the consequences are and will deal with them. From a personal standpoint, our hope is that this suspension will give Daryl the opportunity to accept the necessary help and guidance to get his life back on track and we will certainly support him however we can.
“As it pertains to our team, our approach is the same as it’s always been: next man up. We talk a lot about how critical depth is to a team because situations always arise where you lose players, whether by injury or other circumstances such as this one. One player’s absence is another’s opportunity. That approach has served us well in the past and we will rely on it now.”
Washington was suspended for the first 4 games of last season due to a substance abuse violation. He also pled guilty to charges of aggravated assault against his former girlfriend in March and was sentenced to one-year of supervised probation.
Washington was a Pro Bowler in 2012 after posting 134 tackles and nine sacks. Last season he had 75 tackles and three sacks, playing just 12 games, but helping Arizona to the sixth best defense in the NFL and first against the run.
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