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Jets DT Evans Suspended "indefinitely"


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That like Slim Shady dude that was here earlier must of Jinxed his own team. Who wants to bet that now their rookie wants a lot more since he'll be a starter?

NFL suspends DT Evans indefinitely

Courtesy of Jets media relations

(June 27, 2003) -- The National Football League announced defensive tackle Josh Evans has been suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy.

Evans' suspension begins immediately. He previously was suspended for the entire 2000 season for violating the policy.

"This is unfortunate and we're disappointed for Josh Evans," Jets general manager Terry Bradway said. "He worked hard and contributed to our program. We have to move on. We feel good about the players we have, and the depth at the position."

Evans, an eight-year veteran from Alabama-Birmingham, registered 58 tackles, six sacks, and two fumble recoveries last season while starting all 16 regular-season contests. His career totals include 283 tackles and 20½ sacks.

Under the terms of the program, players who violate the Substance Abuse Policy following a one-year suspension are suspended indefinitely. The reinstatement of an indefinitely suspended player is determined by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue in consultation with the program's medical experts.

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bummer. wonder what kind of drugs he was doing. that definitely gives robertson and his agent some major leverage. not only did the Jets jump up a bunch of spots to get him, but he was the first DT picked in a dt-deept draft. looks like the j-e-t-s are going to have to fork over some major $ to get this guy into to training camp.

here's to hoping he holds out for a few weeks and is not fully prepared come sept. 4 b/c this guy is a beast. along with abraham i think the j-e-t-s d-line will be their strongest unit in 2003.

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Leon Lett was reinstated after missing 8 games, despite testing positive for a "harder" drug, staying clean for a shorter amount of time, and not "missing" a test as some have suggested Evans did. Both players were in identical phases of the substance abuse program. We can only expect Tags will handle Evans' case based on Lett's precedent and hand down a similar result.

As for Robertson, his upcoming deal is obviously slotted, so this will ultimately not have a significant impact (even as a starter). There is room for negotiation on incentives, but draft picks' history of holding out on these grounds is uncommon (Tomlinson is one of the rare cases of which I'm aware where this happened). Due to the combination of (1)Tannenbaum's strong track record in signing draft picks, (2) the need to bring Robertson up to speed ASAP, and (3) added pressure on the Jets FO to avoid additional negative PR, my guess is that it will get worked out in time, possibly at some small cost to the Jets cap. However, this cost will be more than offset by the silver lining of this whole affair - a $3 Million credit to the Jets cap as a result of the option bonus just forfeited by Evans. Now that's an expensive joint. :high: :doh:

It's a definite loss to the Jets line and Robertson will face added pressure to contribute more quickly than the Jets would like - but all in all, the DL is still strong by any measuer. I recently put together the montage below, and I'll stay optimistic and keep it intact in anticipation of Evans' return.

fbddc3a4.jpg

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I wouldn't say that he'll get the same deal as Lett. Obviously it didn't work to steer players away from breaking the rules. Tags might be just as inclined to make it harsher.

Not to mention, doesn't this mean he miss camp and practice? Even if he's allowed back at 9, 10 ,11 weeks...it'll take him time to get back in the mix and by then...the job belongs to the rookie no matter how much he struggles.

Indefinite suspension

NFL punishes Evans for third substance-abuse violation

Posted: Friday June 27, 2003 3:01 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Jets defensive tackle Josh Evans was suspended indefinitely Friday by the NFL for violating its substance-abuse policy for a third time.

Evans was suspended twice by the league for violating the policy during six seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He missed the first four games in 1999 and was suspended for the entire 2000 season.

Under the terms of the program, players who violate the substance-abuse policy after a one-year suspension are out indefinitely. Evans' reinstatement will be determined by commissioner Paul Tagliabue in consultation with medical experts.

"This is unfortunate and we're disappointed for Josh Evans," Jets general manager Terry Bradway said. "He worked hard and contributed to our program. We have to move on. We feel good about the players we have, and the depth at the position."

Because of the previous suspensions, Evans is subject to random testing 10 times each month. Last summer, he faced an indefinite suspension for a positive test as he negotiated a free-agent contract with the Jets.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash upheld Evans' appeal of that suspension and two weeks later the tackle signed with the Jets for $750,000. He enjoyed a standout season in New York, recording a career-high six sacks, second best on the team, and 58 tackles, 47 solo.

Without Evans, the Jets could have depth problems. They most certainly will turn to rookie Dewayne Robertson, who was taken fourth in the draft two months ago.

Robertson left school after his junior season. He was a three-year starter at Kentucky with 48 tackles, a team-high five sacks and 13 quarterback pressures last season.

Jason Ferguson is the other starting tackle, with James Reed and Alan Harper listed as backups.

Several other players have been suspended indefinitely.

Cornerback Dale Carter of the New Orleans Saints, a four-time Pro Bowl choice and Rookie of the Year in 1992, sat out the 2000 season and was reinstated for 2001. He violated the policy again and was suspended indefinitely last July, only months after signing a seven-year, $28 million contract with the Saints. He was reinstated in November after missing eight games.

Defensive tackle Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys was suspended indefinitely before the 1999 season and then reinstated Nov. 8. He also missed eight games.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Darrell Russell of the Oakland Raiders was suspended for the 2002 season and remains barred from the league.

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I wonder what this will do to the Jets DT rotation, seeing as they had planned to rotate Evans, along with Dewayne Robertson, and Jason Ferguson.

Now they will have a rookie in Robertson who is gonna have to learn the defense faster, and thus, play more right at the beginning. It is FAR better that the Redskins play the Jets the very 1st game, as Robertson sure as hell won't have a good grasp of the defense, and hopefully SOS can exploit that fully.

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Originally posted by Bufford

I wouldn't say that he'll get the same deal as Lett. Obviously it didn't work to steer players away from breaking the rules. Tags might be just as inclined to make it harsher.

Not to mention, doesn't this mean he miss camp and practice? Even if he's allowed back at 9, 10 ,11 weeks...it'll take him time to get back in the mix and by then...the job belongs to the rookie no matter how much he struggles.

Tags has full discretion over Evans' punishment and it's true that he may choose to increase the penalty over that received by Lett. But as I explained Evans has favorable mitigating factors as compared to Lett - handing down a harsher penalty admits that the Commish mishandled Lett's case and also opens the door for criticism that such inconsistent treatment is an abuse of the discretion held by the Commish in cases where no prescribed punishment is established. There are violators all over the league and the policy hasn't been changed to increase the deterrent effect. Anything is possible, but the smart money says 8 games.

Evans will play immediately upon return, regardless of Robertson's success. The reason is that Cottrell is steadfast in his strategy of DL rotation, especially at tackle where big men tire quickly. Fortunately, Harper has been said to be having a solid offseason and he'll probably rotate almost 1/2 the snaps with Robertson to start. Reed will see time too, but he doesn't play the 3-tech - he's primarily a plugger behind Fergy.

I still can't believe the guy will lose $3M because he smoked a little weed. Idiot.

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I don't know if I agree. Instead of saying "Well, handling this compared to Lett says".

How about "Well, since doing this to Lett didn't get this guy to fly right...maybe its time to make the penalty harder for all players in this spot....the NFL needs to show we mean business."

This is nothing against the Jets or you but this guy is a dumbass. He knew the risks and still couldn't put it off....for what? Weed? Who here had to take a drug test and if they KNEW about it couldn't stay away.....especially from Weed. I wouldn't be shocked at all if in a year you hear questions about why he's still suspended.

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Be careful with that line of thinking, because one could just as easily argue that since Evans was the only guy to trip up this bad since Lett (Carter is a different set of facts), that's a pretty successful deterrence ratio for a league that's seen thousands of players since then.

But you'll get no argument on the moron factor. It's even more surprising since Evans is really known to be an all around great guy and locker room presence. We don't know the facts, but it probably doesn't matter. If it was a missed test, it's somewhat more excusable, but not much. The bottom line is the guy F'd himself bad.

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Here's his statement:

"I cannot believe I am in this situation again my appeal has failed even though I passed a lie detector test confirming that I never smoked or used marijuana," Evans said. "I have embraced the NFL Program for Substances of Abuse, followed its guidelines precisely and have become a better person for it.

"I would never jeopardize my family and compromise the integrity of the Jets organization, my teammates and its fans by violating the Program. Everybody will ultimately believe what they want, but to accept punishment for something I did not do is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to endure."

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Now let me see, the punishment for violating the drug policy is:

3rd offense: Suspended for 1 season

4th offense: Suspended for 1/2 season

Makes sense to me.

What do they do for the 5th offense: Traded to Dallas?

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Flow, if they're already going to punish him then that's a foolish statement for him to make. They say he's guilty and he continues to claim otherwise? Even if he really is innocent, its almost asking for an increased punishment.

Not sure I'd be so sanguine about the slotting either. If it were that simple there'd never be first-round holdouts. As long as the Jets are willing to push the ceiling of that slot you should be ok, but Robertson is clearly dealing from the captain's seat.

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