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.
āItās just disappointing,ā Rodgers told Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. āAnd Iāll 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 didnāt serve any days in prison, sat out for a year and still couldnāt get his case heard, from what I was told. I just think that thatās wrong. . . . I think the Commissionerās 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 donāt think thatās helping.ā
Because the league attempts to maintain confidential on matters of this nature, itās unclear why Jolly has been suspended indefinitely. Itās possible that he tested positive for a banned recreational drug while in Stage 3 of the substance abuse program. Itās possible that he failed to show up for a test while in Stage 3. Itās 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 canāt) or Jolly chooses to do so (to date, he hasnāt), thereās no way to know what specifically resulted in the suspension.
That said, Rodgersā point is a valid one ā and itās 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 thatās what happened to Jolly.