If free agent Ahmad Bradshaw signs with a team, he will be suspended for the first week of the season, Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports tweets. The running back was cited for marijuana possession back in February.
Bradshaw is no stranger to off-field troubles. The tailback resisted arrest while at the University of Virginia and was kicked off of the football team before ever suiting up in a game. He quickly latched on with Marshall and went on to become a key part of their offense, but in his junior year he was sentenced to two years probation for petty larceny. Later on while with the Giants, Bradshaw wound up serving jail time for violating probation for a sealed juvenile charge. Bradshaw’s marijuana citation in a vacuum might not have merited a suspension from the NFL, but the portion of his legal history that intersected with his professional career has apparently changed things.
Bradshaw was the Colts’ most effective running back in 2014 before fracturing his ankle in November. The veteran led the team with 425 yards on the ground and 4.7 yards per carry. Bradshaw was also extremely effective as a pass catcher out of the backfield, grabbing 38 receptions and scoring six touchdowns through the air. Bradshaw graded as Pro Football Focus’ 11th-best back (subscription required) despite missing more than five games due to the season-ending fractured fibula he suffered against the Patriots in November. Unfortunately, Bradshaw has barely seen the field in the last two years. He also missed most of the 2013 campaign — his first with the Colts — with a season-ending neck injury.
Do you expect that Bradshaw’s looming one week suspension will have a significant affect on his market?