Sep. 12: Collins is still fighting his suspension and is hopeful that the ban will be lifted or reduced, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Per La Canfora, Collins has been drug tested about 10 times per months for the last 18 months, and he did not test positive between October 21, 2020 and August 11, 2021.
However, as previous reports indicated, Collins’ suspension stems from missed tests, not positive test results. La Canfora says Collins has failed to appear for testing seven times, but Collins and his agent argue that there are good explanations for those missed tests. For instance, some of the testing dates were on days that the Cowboys sent players home due to a COVID-related issue.
At this point, Dallas can only hope that Collins and his reps will be able to convince the league to change its mind.
Sep. 10: A day after he returned for his first game since the 2019 season, La’el Collins received word he will be sidelined for a while. The NFL handed the longtime Cowboys right tackle a five-game suspension Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Collins came back from a preseason neck injury to start against the Buccaneers, marking his return after a hip injury sidelined him throughout the 2020 season. But the seventh-year veteran will now be sidelined until Week 8, with Dallas’ bye coming in Week 7. Collins violated the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
A missed drug test, or multiple missed tests, resulted in the ban, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This Friday announcement has irked Collins’ reps, who believed the appeal process had not yet concluded, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. However, the NFL and the Cowboys announcing the ban will result in Collins missing nearly a third of the season. Collins’ team continues its appeal effort, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder notes (on Twitter), though it does not appear it will succeed.
This will be familiar territory for the Cowboys, who needed to use backup tackles for most of last season. UDFAs manned Dallas’ O-line edges for much of the 2020 slate, with Tyron Smith also missing 14 games due to injury. Both Smith and Collins were back at their posts Thursday night, and the Cowboys’ passing attack reignited with the outside blockers and Dak Prescott on the field again. The team will need to adjust, however.
Dallas added veteran swing tackle Ty Nsekhe this offseason and still rosters primary 2020 right tackle starter Terence Steele. Fellow 2020 emergency starter Brandon Knight is on Dallas’ reserve/COVID-19 list, joining All-Pro guard Zack Martin.
Collin’s had hip surgery in the offseason following an auto accident. Since this is a rumor website, one might speculate some prescription or non-prescription related use to aid in recovery?
If so why avoid the tests?
The league always tests players especially when coming back from injury because there are quite a few prescription and over the counter medications that speed up the recovery from an injury and or surgery and several are banned in the NFL. As a player, it’s your job to know which are banned so that you can show your doctor so that he doesn’t give you one of them.
That D still sucks Jerry!
TB12 makes most defenses look bad
Very on-brand.
Urban legend
Unbelievable. Gallup and now Collins.
It’s always good to see Dallas held to the same standards as the rest of the league for a change, instead of getting their usual preferential treatment with Jerry Jones around.
Ha! I can’t stand Jerry Jones. He’s a great marketer, but a horrific GM. But to say the Cowboys get preferential treatment is an inaccurate statement. They have players suspended constantly. They also have a ton of questionable calls against them – including one in the 4th quarter of the game against the Bucs. You can bust the Cowboy chops on a lot of things, but preferential treatment isn’t one of them.
They have players suspended frequently because they take the lead at taking on questionable characters.
What a load of rubbish. Google it, they have a better record than most, including the rest of their division. Kansas City has had star players beating in their women and children. Cincinnati has had numerous problems.
You’re right Dallas would never take on the bad character guys. Gee, I wonder how and why this guy fell into their laps to begin with?
He’s never failed a test. The charge in College was bogus.
Maybe the charge was bogus, but it was enough of a character issue dropped him out of the draft and right into their laps. A 1st round talent at a UDFA price tag. KC and Cincy have had players turn up with some serious problems some they move on from, some they didn’t. But the Cowboys always seem to be the 1st place looking to add one of the players that have had issues and need a landing spot. They’ve become what the Raiders were many years ago.
You must not believe in second chance. You probably the that say guilty til proven innocent like if every team don’t have player that f&@ks up there called human
Second chance for who specifically? And that takes it back to the original point, Jerry Jones has operated a halfway house for guys looking for that second chance, and don’t think it’s because of his kind spirit and not rolling the dice on a talent with issues and a price tag reflecting it.
Yeah, you keep pushing this false narrative. There are NFL Players committing murder, armed robbery, burglary, domestic violence, etc.and you’re making a big deal about some missed drug testing? The guy was coming back from a serious injury that forced him to miss 2020. Did he take something that might’ve sped his rehab? Perhaps, but it would hardly be an indictment of his character or the character of the team. The Cowboys have been clean of serious incidents for years and years. Several Eagles players have been charged with animal abuse including beating their dogs. Character, right?
Yeah… good luck with that Collins. 7 missed tests and they should just forget about it.
Do you know why they were missed?
Because that had nothing else going on couldn’t find a way to puss in a cup. I hope I can still get an A in class despite missing all 7 midterms…
In just the last two years, Seattle has a WR under indictment for murder, and two others arrested for strangling a girlfriend and choking a man unconscious. They and the NYGs each had a player arrested on armed robbery charges. Numerous teams have had players arrested for domestic violence. There have been a load of gun charges. Dallas and Philly have largely avoided serious legal issues in recent years.
All charges against Deandre Baker were dropped and Quinton Dunbar was never even charged. So maybe take them off your little scoreboard.
Missed tests due to Covid protocols. This wreaks of sabotage.
Why is the NFL being such “richards?” Hard drugs stay in your system for weeks. 10 times a month? Really? Seems like harassment. Besides, Drugs should be legal and regulated like alcohol…..
.
Doesn’t sound like 1 misunderstanding, he couldn’t find a way to piss in a cup on 7 occasions. He’s on a $50,000,000.00 contract and not playing, sorry but no sympathy from me.
Meanwhile Watson sexually assaulted numerous women and is going to make 10.5M to not play because of it. I see no issues here. Great job NFL.
He’ll need that money to pay the victims.
Clean up your act already Every! week we see players suspended for the same things yet they point fingers at everything but themselves? Try ZERO tolerance and this will end quickly.
Who else got suspended for missing tests instead of failing tests?
Leveon bell, David Irving, I think one of Josh Gordon’s was missed tests, I think there was also one for AB.
He missed 7 tests over the span of 18 months. Sounds like a lot until you do the math and find out he took roughly 173 tests. The guy basically peed in a cup every time he peed…. This is ridiculous. Normally I agree that people need to follow the rules but wow.