LeSean McCoy News & Rumors

Investigation Into LeSean McCoy Still Open, Suspension Still Possible

September 23rd, 2018 at 9:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

For a while now, it has seemed like Bills running back LeSean McCoy was in the clear. But that’s apparently not entirely true, as new reporting has revealed the case, and McCoy’s involvement, are still unresolved.

McCoy was at the center of a disturbing incident involving his ex-girlfriend over the summer, but was never arrested. A couple of weeks ago it was reported that he was unlikely to face a suspension as long as he wasn’t charged in the case, but the investigation is in fact still open according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. A source told Florio that “the league has decided to defer to local authorities, who continue to investigate the situation.”

Florio reports that “the league would act only after McCoy is formally charged, or after the official investigation concludes with no action taken against him.” All this means is that there’s been no determination within the league office about possible punishment, and a suspension remains a very real possibility.

According to Florio, detectives investigating the break-in into the home where McCoy’s ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, was staying haven’t been satisfied with McCoy’s level of cooperation. It’s highly possible the league ultimately concludes there isn’t enough evidence to suspend McCoy, but it definitely isn’t a settled matter like many have suggested recently. McCoy missed Buffalo’s shocking upset of the Vikings today as he was sidelined with a rib injury. Through the Bills’ first two games, he had 16 carries for 61 yards, adding five catches for 28 yards.

Extra Points: Bills, McCoy, Chargers, Texans

September 20th, 2018 at 9:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Delicia Gordon, the ex-girlfriend of Bills running back LeSean McCoy, will hold a press conference on Friday to explain why she is “certain” McCoy was involved in a July home invasion that left her battered and bloodied, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. While Georgia police haven’t yet uncovered any direct evidence linking McCoy to the incident, Gordon is offering a $20K reward for information tying McCoy to the crime. Reports earlier this month indicated McCoy was not expected to face charges stemming from the invasion, while the NFL also hasn’t expressed any interest in suspending him. On the field, McCoy is questionable for Sunday’s contest against the Vikings as he deals with a rib injury.

Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget is suing athletic trainer Ian Danney for $15MM in damages after Danney allegedly injected the former first-round pick with a banned NFL substance, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com details. Danney reportedly told Liuget he was using an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory to treat pain, but Liuget alleges the substance led to his four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. Liuget ultimately accepted a hefty pay cut from Los Angeles, as his pay was slashed from $8MM to just $935K (with more money available via incentives). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Danney treats dozens of NFL players, so this case could be crucial on a league-wide basis.
The Texans are open to moving veteran defensive back Kareem Jackson back-and-forth between safety and cornerback, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. Jackson, a longtime corner, shifted to safety this offseason to replace Andre Hal, but moved back to corner against the Titans in Week 2. Now 30 years old, Jackson graded as just the No. 95 cornerback in 2017, per Pro Football Focus, so lining him up in that position certainly has its risks. Houston head coach Bill O’Brien said Jackson’s role will be determined on a week-to-week basis, and where Jackson lines up will affect whether Aaron Colvin (cornerback) or Justin Reid (safety) is viewed as a starter.
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell is a name to watch in NFL circles, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. A general manager brought up Campbell’s name this summer, per Breer, and another executive mentioned Campbell after the Cylcones competed with Oklahoma last weekend. Campbell, who was highly successful at Toledo before taking over the Iowa State program in 2016, finished with an 8-5 record last year.

Bills Notes: Allen, McCoy, Staff, CBs

September 17th, 2018 at 5:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the quarterback battle between Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen being close during the preseason, the Bills did not want their No. 7 overall pick to have to play so soon. They hoped Peterman would keep the job “for a while” while Allen learned, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. However, after Peterman’s 0.0 passer rating against the Ravens, little debate ensued about making the move to the rookie for Week 2.

“You wish you had more to go on than just the three starts, and it might be different if this was a veteran with a five-year body of work,” a Bills source told La Canfora, recalling Peterman’s five-interception start against the Chargers last season. “But you don’t have anything else to go on, and after it happens a second time you can’t just write it off as an anomaly.”

Allen is now the starter, but La Canfora reports the Bills remain on the lookout for quarterbacks — via the waiver wire and on other teams’ depth charts. However, as for their QB1 job, it’s Allen’s. Sean McDermott confirmed as much Monday (via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW, on Twitter). Citing the Wyoming product’s intellect, the Bills did not envision their draft prize sitting an entire season like some expected, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). In his first start, a loss to the Chargers, Allen completed 18 of 33 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Here’s the latest from Buffalo:

Allen may not have LeSean McCoy available to take handoffs in Week 3. The former All-Pro running back cracked rib cartilage against the Chargers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding McCoy will be questionable to face Vikings. Worries existed this injury indeed was cracked ribs, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), who adds this injury won’t be classified as a fracture. Chris Ivory resides as Buffalo’s backup running back.
McDermott took over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier mid-game, he confirmed after the Bills’ loss to the Chargers. “I just thought we needed a spark and that’s my background,” McDermott said. Frazier said during his tenure he and McDermott have worked collaboratively, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Vontae Davis‘ mid-game retirement obviously caught the Bills by surprise, and it’s final. McDermott will not be reaching out to the cornerback, who signed with the Bills this offseason. “I have not been in touch with Vontae today,” McDermott said (via Buscaglia, on Twitter). “His actions were loud and clear. My focus is on my team right now.”
Despite the 30-year-old corner retiring, the Bills received a roster exemption for Davis, Rapoport tweets. It’s a left-squad designation, per NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
Phillip Gaines will now be counted on to start opposite Tre’Davious White, but he’s encountered some injury trouble. Gaines dislocated one of his elbows, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. That may not stop him from playing in Week 3, but it’s a concern at this point, per Rodak. After a shaky stay with the Chiefs, Gaines joined Davis in signing with the Bills this offseason. The Bills have fourth-round rookie Taron Johnson and third-year player Lafayette Pitts on their roster. With Davis gone and Gaines injured, Buffalo has three available corners at this moment.

LeSean McCoy Not Expected To Face Charges From Offseason Incident

September 9th, 2018 at 10:34am CST by Rory Parks

LeSean McCoy was in the headlines for the wrong reasons this summer, as he was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, and was linked to a home invasion that left Cordon battered and bloodied. However, he reported to training camp just as he normally would and has been treated like any other player.

And, while Cordon has filed a civil lawsuit against McCoy, the Bills running back is not expected to face criminal charges stemming from the home invasion, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (story via Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com). Plus, while the NFL has the power to suspend a player for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy even if that player avoids criminal charges, Rapoport tweets that McCoy is not likely to be suspended, as there is simply not enough evidence of wrongdoing at this point.

McCoy, of course, has denied all allegations from the outset. The 30-year-old tailback has been one of the most productive rushers in the league since the Eagles selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft. He has six 1,000-yard rushing seasons to his credit, including his 2017 effort in which he tallied 1,138 yards and averaged 4.0 yards per carry.

The Bills are short on receiving talent this year, so the offense is likely to run through McCoy once again.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Bills, McCoy, Jets

August 18th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins are desperate for cornerback help, so much so that they’re working usual slot corner Bobby McCain on the outside, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. During this week’s practices, Miami used McCain opposite No. 1 corner Xavien Howard, with versatile first-round defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick in the slot. McCain became of the NFL’s highest-paid slot corners after agreeing to a four-year, $27MM extension earlier this year, but if he can stick on the outside, the 25-year-old would become a bargain. The Dolphins could conceivably look to the trade or free agent market in search of a new cornerback, but one of their recent visitors — former Redskins defender Bashaud Breeland — is reportedly unlikely to sign with Miami.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

While a few more details have emerged regarding Bills running back LeSean McCoy and the pending lawsuit against him (which alleges McCoy was responsible for a recent physical attack on his ex-girlfriend, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said “nothing’s changed” with regard to McCoy’s status with the club. “You take all allegations seriously, but until the police say there’s something there, we’re not going to act on anything without them saying there’s legit evidence,” Beane told Kate Brumback and John Wawrow of the Associated Press. “It’s an open investigation. Nothing has come forward that said any of these things are true. So until that would happen, I don’t think anything will ever change.” McCoy could potentially be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list depending on the state of the NFL’s investigation, but at this point, it appears he’ll be on the Bills’ active roster for Week 1, barring any further developments.
Bills punter Cory Carter suffered a torn ACL in Friday night’s preseason game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Carter, who went undrafted out of Texas Southern in 2016, spent training camp with the Texans last summer but has never appeared in an NFL contest. While he was unlikely to unseat starting punter Colton Schmidt in Buffalo, Carter was one of only two punters on the Bills’ roster, so the team could conceivably add another specialist in the coming days. Carter, meanwhile, will likely be waived/injured and subsequently moved to injured reserve, where he’ll spend the 2018 campaign.
Speaking of injuries, the Jets will be cautious with guard Brian Winters as he continues to recover from the abdomen issue he dealt with in 2017, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Winters played through the ailment last season, but New York has no interest of rushing him back this year, and he’s not expected to play in any preseason games. The 26-year-old Winters has made 56 starts for the Jets over the past five seasons, and last year graded as the league’s No. 59 guard among 78 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Latest On LeSean McCoy

August 13th, 2018 at 4:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Bills running back LeSean McCoy has been named in a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, reports WKBW.com. On Friday, Delicia Cordon filed a personal injury lawsuit against the veteran and his former University of Pittsburgh teammate, Tamarcus Porter. The lawsuit stems from a July home-invasion incident in which Cordon was injured and robbed.

Cordon has continually pointed the finger at McCoy, claiming the 30-year-old was somehow responsible for the robbery (the running back has consistently denied any wrongdoing). While a suspect hasn’t been named in the criminal investigation, the lawsuit argues that McCoy should be held responsible for the injuries.

As ESPN’s Mike Rodak explains, the suit says McCoy “breached his duty to use ordinary care to protect Plaintiff from dangerous activities being conducted at the Residence” by changing and withholding the security codes to the house. The lawsuit also details arguments between the two, with Cordon accusing the running back of “beating his dog and beating his son frequently, as well as other issues.”

As Rodak writes, the lawsuit does not specifically accuse McCoy or Porter “of conducting or ordering the attack.” However, since Porter told police that he had access to a live feed of the home’s security cameras, the suit is arguing that the pair had “actual and constructive knowledge of criminal activity existing on the property on July 10, 2018.”

Last month, the NFL said they were still reviewing the matter. McCoy reported to Bills camp in late July.

Extra Points: Rookie Scale, McCoy, Bills, Beckham, Giants, Donald, Rams

August 11th, 2018 at 5:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Roquan Smith still isn’t signed. The eighth overall pick in this year’s draft is the last remaining unsigned pick, and there’s no end in sight to the impasse between the linebacker and the Bears. Although issues like total guaranteed money and signing bonuses are predetermined in rookie contracts, things like offsets and when guarantees will void can still be haggled over.

To help better understand the process, Andrew Brandt of SI.com took a look at the rookie contract process, and spoke with a handful of agents. Brandt, a former Packers executive, writes that it’s a “system tilted heavily toward management” and that the players have little leverage now due to the 2011 CBA. Brandt writes that teams have become “emboldened” by their newfound power in negotiating rookie deals, and that “teams like the Bears are looking to invalidate future guarantees based on discipline for on-field conduct.”

The Bears want to be able to void guaranteed money from Smith’s contract if he were suspended for on-field conduct like an illegal hit, and Smith is fighting back. It will be fascinating to see how the situation plays out. Here’s more from around the league:

The ex-girlfriend of LeSean McCoy issued a new statement yesterday, saying that she is still waiting for “justice to be served.” McCoy has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has not yet been punished by either the Bills or the NFL.
Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t play in the Giants’ preseason opener, but his absence had nothing to do with his contract. Although the two sides are still negotiating a contract extension which should make OBJ the highest paid receiver in the game, coach Pat Shurmur said he wasn’t going to play his star in the first game anyway, according to Tom Rock of Newsday.
Aaron Donald missed the August seventh deadline to report and will become a restricted free agent after the season, but the deadline was mostly irrelevant writes former NFL agent Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Since the Rams will certainly franchise tag Donald if the two sides can’t agree on an extension, it doesn’t really matter whether he’s a restricted or unrestricted free agent after this year, and there was no reason for Donald to report.

Bills’ LeSean McCoy To Report To Camp

July 23rd, 2018 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Bills running back LeSean McCoy is reporting to training camp with the rest of the team’s veterans on Wednesday, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Unless McCoy’s status changes with the league, the team is expected to treat him like any other player.

McCoy, of course, is not quite like every other player. The running back’s ex-girlfriend was badly beaten in a home invasion earlier this month and she has intimated that McCoy may have played a role in the incident. If the allegations have merit, McCoy could face jail time and his NFL career could be in serious jeopardy.

McCoy, 30, denies any involvement, saying he was in Miami at the time of the invasion. But, his ex-girlfriend says the assailant demanded specific jewelry items from Cordon, items Graham said were gifts from McCoy to his ex and items he’d demanded back on “many occasions.” Court records over the past year show McCoy and Cordon argued over jewelry while additionally indicating McCoy attempted to have Cordon removed from the home and retrieve items that belonged to him.

A police investigation is ongoing, as is an NFL inquiry. So far, McCoy has not been charged with any crime and all parties involved are acting with that in mind.

Latest On LeSean McCoy

July 20th, 2018 at 9:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills report to training camp July 26, but it’s not certain LeSean McCoy will be there.

The matter of his possible involvement in a home invasion and assault of his ex-girlfriend continues, and the attorney for Delicia Cordon said her client “believes very strongly” McCoy was involved.

“She absolutely thinks Mr. McCoy had something to do with it,” Tanya Mitchell Graham said in an email response to Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “She believes anyone else involved was likely contacted by someone else on behalf of Mr. McCoy.”

Skurski notes Graham wanted to clear up some confusion last week, when she said neither she nor Cordon had indicated directly McCoy was involved in an incident that left his ex-girlfriend badly bruised. Graham responded that her client still believes McCoy was involved to some degree.

McCoy, 30, denied he was involved, saying he was in Miami at the time of the invasion. But Graham previously said the assailant demanded specific jewelry items from Cordon, items Graham said were gifts from McCoy to his ex and items he’d demanded back on “many occasions.” Court records over the past year show McCoy and Cordon argued over jewelry while additionally indicating McCoy attempted to have Cordon removed from the home and retrieve items that belonged to him. A police investigation is ongoing, as is an NFL inquiry.

An eviction hearing was scheduled to take place on Aug. 14, Skurski reports. Cordon has since moved out of the house, Graham said.

“I mentioned that I had a conversation with our client about the ‘criminal burden of proof,’ which is a higher standard than a civil burden of proof, and ‘probable cause’ – legal terms,” Graham said, via Skurski. “At this time, there is circumstantial evidence, which is not significant enough probable cause for an arrest; so, I said you can’t blame Mr. McCoy without additional evidence.

“This matter is under investigation, and we should allow the City of Milton (Ga.) Police and their detectives to do their job. I think either the way I said that, or the way it was interpreted caused some confusion to suggest that my client was backtracking. She is not. I was just trying to explain the legalities of the incident.”

Due to the ongoing investigation, McCoy could be a candidate for the commissioner’s exempt list. This would sideline him indefinitely from the Bills.

Latest On LeSean McCoy: Friday

July 13th, 2018 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a roundup of the latest on the situation surrounding Bills running back LeSean McCoy, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (all links to go Twitter):

Tanya Mitchell Graham, the attorney for Delicia Cordon, told WRNB radio on Thursday that neither she nor her client has “said directly” that McCoy was involved in the home invasion (link). “That could be factual [that McCoy was in Miami and not involved],” Graham said in the interview, which took place before records of Cordon’s comments to police were revealed. “The only thing I’ve said are factual things, for instance furniture was being moved on June 1. Mr. McCoy was not in Atlanta then. An eviction was filed on his behalf. He was not in Atlanta. Security cameras were changed at his residence. He was not in Atlanta then. So the fact that he was not in Atlanta doesn’t mean anything, really. But I have not – neither has my client – said directly that he was involved. I believe that the criminal investigation will play out and we will find out who the perpetrator or any accessories are.”
Graham tells Rodak that there has been “no backtracking” of her client’s story. Graham says her client “suspects” McCoy had “something to do with it,” though Cordon is not directly blaming McCoy without further evidence (link).
Graham says the piece of jewelry that was stolen from Cordon was given to her as a gift in 2016 and was not loaned by a jeweler, contradictory to what McCoy told police in 2017 (link).
It has been reported that McCoy was in the process of trying to evict Cordon from the home, but Graham disputes that version of events (link). Graham said McCoy has “never asked [Cordon] to leave. … She does not have a text message, a phone or an email or a phone record that can show my client that he asked her to relocate.” McCoy took Cordon to court this year to have her removed from the property, so this could be a matter of semantics.
Graham says neither her nor Cordon knew that Cordon’s friend would post the graphic hospital photo or make accusations against McCoy on Instagram (link).

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