Arizona Cardinals’ LB Daryl Washington to be suspended for entire 2014 season
By Dan Zinski
The Arizona Cardinals knew linebacker Daryl Washington would be facing stiff punishment from the NFL in the wake of his sentencing on charges of domestic assault, but I don’t think even they saw this one coming. According to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 AM in Phoenix, Washington will be suspended for the entire 2014 season.
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Jurecki tweets that a Cardinals player confirmed to him the length of Washington’s suspension. The linebacker was arrested May 3, 2013 after allegedly attacking the mother of his child in an incident that left the victim with a broken collarbone.
Washington was charged with assault and in April of this year received a sentence of one year’s supervised probation after pleading guilty. The NFL said they would review Washington’s case.
A one year suspension for a domestic violence charge breaks new ground when it comes to such punishments (Washington has been suspended before but it was for a violation of the substance abuse policy). No doubt, the NFL is thinking hard about its image in the wake of other recent high-profile cases of assault, including the Ray Rice incident.
It will be interesting to see how the union reacts to this very harsh punishment for Washington. Not that it means much compared to the ugly realities of this case, but the Arizona Cardinals are also left in a tough spot with their Pro Bowl linebacker possibly being shut down by the league for the entire season.
Update: It has come to light, since the early reports, that Washington’s suspension was for violation of the substance abuse policy. As a repeat offender he received a one year suspension.
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