Why was La'el Collins suspended? Cowboys RT sidelined after trying to bribe NFL drug-test collector
La'el Collins has found himself in a situation that has been brought about by attempting to bribe an NFL drug-test collector.
The Dallas Cowboys 7th-year offensive tackle has missed multiple drug tests and, as a result, attempted to bribe his way out of trouble with the drug test administration for the league to look the other way in regards to his missed tests.
How many games will La'el Collins miss?
Per the new bargaining agreement rules for the NFL, the league is no longer allowed to suspend a player for a positive marijuana test. Collins may have only been positive for marijuana but had reportedly missed seven drug tests.
Dallas Cowboys RT La'el Collins was suspended after trying to bribe the league's drug-test collector, sources told @AdamSchefter.
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The NFL had originally suspended Collings for five games for his actions. Collins and the NFLPA worked together through an appeal to get those five games reduced to only two.
When an arbitrator hired by the league gathered evidence against Collins, the recommendation was then elevated back to the original five games.
Collins could have easily served his two-game suspension and been back on the field for when the Cowboys host the Carolina Panthers in Week 4. Collins will not be eligible to return until Oct 18th, when the Cowboys play the New England Patriots.
Collins is not the first player to attempt to get around the drug testing done by the NFL. Von Miller had also attempted to use some fake urine in his drug test back in 2013, which resulted in a six-game suspension.
The easiest fix to this situation would have been for Collins to just take his two-game suspension.
Collins attempted to excuse two of the tests as his strength and conditioning coach, Markus Paul, passed away during a scheduled test. Collins also attended his uncle's funeral during another test.
Those incidents may have been excused by the league, but to miss another five tests and attempt to bribe an official is what got Collins deeper into trouble.
Now the Cowboys are very thin at offensive tackle with Collins out, and now Ty Nsekhe is being ruled out of Monday with an illness.
The Cowboys have a very important matchup against their divisional rivals Philadelphia Eagles, and missing two starting tackles will be a huge issue.
Tyron Smith, Terence Steele and Brandon Knight are the only three tackles that are good to go for Monday night. Expect the Cowboys to call up an offensive lineman from their practice squad in case there are injuries on the field.
Only 1 game into the season and the Cowboys are having to deal with missing multiple key players.
• DE DeMarcus Lawrence: Out 6-8 weeks
• WR Michael Gallup: On IR
• OL Zack Martin: COVID-19 Reserve
• DE Randy Gregory: COVID-19 Reserve
• OL La’el Collins: Suspended 5 games https://t.co/omqkxJnzkE
If any lineman goes down for the Cowboys, they will be in a world of trouble, especially since Brandon Knight shuffles across the offensive line in the tackle and guard positions.
Collins missing those five games will cost him about 2 million dollars of his salary this season, and it voids his 6.48 million injury guarantee for the 2022 season. That is a hefty price to pay for attempting to cheat the system.
Taking the two games off would have been the wiser decision in the grand scheme of things.