SATURDAY, 9:12am: The suspension will cost Jones $122,765, according to ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio.
He’ll forfeit $65,088 in base salary (1/17th of $1.106 million) and he could lose another $57,677 in signing bonus money (1/17th of his $3.922 million signing bonus).
FRIDAY, 6:35pm: Jones’ suspension likely stems from a citation for marijuana possession, reports Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. The Green Bay defensive lineman was cited for possession the day after the Packers’ overtime loss in the NFC championship game. Jones paid $880 for his January citation in Green Bay, Wis.
This incident falls into the civil ordinance category, rather than a misdemeanor or criminal conviction, Wilde reports.
THURSDAY, 2:59pm: The NFL’s pre-holiday suspension announcements continue, as defensive end Datone Jones of the Packers is the latest to be penalized by the league. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Jones has been suspended for the first game of the 2015 season for a substance abuse violation.
Jones’ suspension is the third one announced today by the league, and it’s also the shortest of the three. Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain each received four-game bans earlier this afternoon for violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Jones, a 2013 first rounder, suffered an ankle injury and didn’t get close to full health until the end of the year. In 2014, Jones played in 13 games and made 3 starts, racking up 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two pass deflections. Jones is signed through signed through 2016 and today’s news could complicate the Packers’ decision about whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option.