Over the weekend, Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly was arrested for the fourth time on drug charges. On Tuesday, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke out in support of Jolly, who has been indefinitely suspended by the league.
âItâs just disappointing,â Rodgers told Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. âAnd Iâll be honest, I think the league deserves some of the blame in this case. When you look at some of the other guys that have been reinstated in the league after jail sentences, and justly, rightly so, Johnny didnât serve any days in prison, sat out for a year and still couldnât get his case heard, from what I was told. I just think that thatâs wrong. . . . I think the Commissionerâs done a great job of cleaning up some of the stuff in the league. That said, if you take a guy away from his support system . . . I donât think thatâs helping.â
Because the league attempts to maintain confidential on matters of this nature, itâs unclear why Jolly has been suspended indefinitely. Itâs possible that he tested positive for a banned recreational drug while in Stage 3 of the substance abuse program. Itâs possible that he failed to show up for a test while in Stage 3. Itâs possible that he otherwise failed to comply with the terms of his treatment plan while in Stage 3. Unless the league provides the details (it canât) or Jolly chooses to do so (to date, he hasnât), thereâs no way to know what specifically resulted in the suspension.
That said, Rodgersâ point is a valid one â and itâs one that his predecessor once made regarding former Packers receiver Koren Robinson. Banishing a guy from his team puts him in position to potentially get in trouble again. And thatâs what happened to Jolly.