NFL Bans Rolando McClain

The NFL has banned Rolando McClain indefinitely, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link). McClain was conditionally reinstated in September and quickly released by the Cowboys, making him a free agent. This latest setback may kick him out of football for good. 

McClain, a talented former first-round pick of the Raiders, has battled off-the-field demons for years. The Cowboys gambled on him after the Raiders gave up on him and, for a period, that gamble paid off. After years away from the game, the Cowboys decided that he was not worth the trouble and we didn’t hear much about him during the 2019 season.

In 2014, the Cowboys acquired McClain via trade and used him in 13 games. He finished that season with 81 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. After that, he was hit with his first – but not last – NFL suspension. In 2015, he was limited to just eleven games, though he still tallied 80 tackles and a pair of sacks.

After signing another one-year deal with the Cowboys during the 2016 offseason, McClain was handed a ten-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He then failed another drug test midway through the season, and the NFL slapped him with an indefinite suspension. After his third ban in two years, McClain was cuffed on a 2017 arrest for firearm and drug charges.

McClain, who has not played since January 1, 2016, will turn 31 in July.
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