The Steelers aren’t going to have to worry about an Anthony Chickillo suspension. The linebacker was arrested last month on charges of assaulting his girlfriend, but the charges were later dropped. The NFL conducted their own inquiry, and determined there was “insufficient evidence and the investigation is now closed with no punishment,” a source told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chickillo was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after the arrest, but was removed from it a few weeks back. He ended up only missing one game, a win over the Dolphins, due to the incident. He plays a rotational role on defense while also playing heavy snaps on special teams.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tough blow for Cole Madison, as the young Packers offensive lineman suffered a torn ACL during practice earlier this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s an especially brutal setback for Madison, who has had a rough start to his NFL career. A fifth-round pick out of Washington State back in 2018, he missed his entire rookie season with a personal issue. There were reports that Madison might never play football again, and that his decision to step away was connected to the suicide of college teammate Tyler Hilinski. Madison had yet to play this season as he was working his way back from a separate injury. Hopefully he can return for a healthy 2020.
- The XFL is getting another relative big name. Former Steelers receiver Eli Rogers will be playing in the upstart league when it kicks off next year, he announced on Twitter. A former undrafted free agent from Louisville, Rogers had a breakout year in his first season of action back in 2016. He developed a rapport with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and ended up starting eight games while finishing 594 yards and three touchdowns. A torn ACL the following year derailed his once-promising career, and Rogers was waived at final cuts this past August. Since then he’s been making the rounds with workouts, but has been unable to latch on with an NFL team.
- In case you missed it, quarterbacks Josh Johnson, Chase Litton, and Taylor Heinicke are also joining the XFL.