Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) pushes away New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye (6) during the first quarter at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.

Saints S Marcus Maye suspended three games by NFL

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye was suspended three games without pay by the NFL on Wednesday for violating the league policy on substances of abuse.

The suspension stems from Maye’s arrest in 2021 for driving under the influence in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He received six months’ probation and was given 50 community service hours after accepting a plea deal on Aug. 22.

Maye is eligible to return to the roster on Oct. 9, one day after the Saints’ game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.

Maye, 30, becomes the third Saints player to be currently suspended, joining running back Alvin Kamara and rookie quarterback Jake Haener.

Maye has 13 tackles, one interception and one sack in two games this season for the Saints (2-0).

He recorded 385 tackles, seven interceptions and 4.5 sacks in 72 career games (all starts) with the New York Jets (2017-21) and Saints. He was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Oct 2, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Jets receivers coach Miles Austin suspended for sports betting

The NFL has suspended New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin for violating the league’s policy on gambling on sports.

ESPN and NFL Network reported that the suspension is for at least one year. Austin is appealing the suspension.

Austin did not bet on NFL games, according to his counsel.

“The NFL suspended Miles Austin for wagering from a legal mobile account on table games and non-NFL professional sports,” Bill Deni said in a statement on behalf of his client. “Miles did not wager on any NFL game in violation of the Gambling Policy for NFL Personnel. He has been fully cooperative with the NFL’s investigation.”

Austin, 38, is in his second season coaching the Jets’ receivers.

He is best known for his 10-year NFL playing career with the Dallas Cowboys (2006-13), Cleveland Browns (2014) and Philadelphia Eagles (2015). Austin went from being undrafted out of Monmouth to becoming a two-time Pro Bowler with Dallas. He finished his career with 361 receptions, 5,273 yards and 38 total touchdowns (37 receiving).

ESPN reported that Austin had been placing bets while inside the Jets’ facility, and that he hasn’t been with the team since Tuesday. He wasn’t with the team for Thursday’s 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to multiple reports.

The NFL has business partnerships with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbooks, but it continues to uphold a no-tolerance policy for its personnel gambling on sports, even outside of football.

Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley is currently serving a year-long ban for placing bets on NFL games that did not involve his team at the time of the suspension, the Atlanta Falcons.

–Field Level Media

October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) tackles San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) for a safety during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

NFL suspends Chiefs DE Frank Clark for 2 games

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark received a two-game suspension from the NFL for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Clark’s ban stems from his pleading no contest in September to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon for separate incidents in 2021. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service.

The Chiefs (5-2) are on a bye this week. Kansas City will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 9 and Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 before Clark is eligible to return on Monday, Nov. 14.

Clark, 29, has 15 tackles and three sacks in seven games (all starts) this season. He recorded 1.5 sacks and a safety in the Chiefs’ 44-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Clark has 239 tackles, 56.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 112 career games (80 starts) with the Seattle Seahawks (2015-18) and Chiefs. He was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Jun 7, 2022; Thousand Oaks, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Brycen Hopkins (88) during minicamp at Cal Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams TE Brycen Hopkins suspended 3 games

Los Angeles Rams backup tight end Brycen Hopkins has been suspended three games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Hopkins, who backs up Tyler Higbee, played just four offensive snaps in each of the Rams’ first two games this season. He does not have a target.

In fact, Hopkins has just one career reception for nine yards in 12 NFL games. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by the Rams.

He’s the son of former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Brad Hopkins.

–Field Level Media

Sep 26, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley (18) carries the ball past New York Giants free safety Jabrill Peppers (21) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons’ Calvin Ridley suspended 1 year for gambling on NFL

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended Monday for at least one year for betting on NFL games during the 2021 season.

Ridley can appeal the suspension. If it stands, he can petition for reinstatement on Feb. 15, 2023.

Ridley bet on games over a five-day period in late November while the 27-year-old was away from the team for personal reasons, according to an NFL release.

“Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to Ridley.

Ridley played in five games (all starts) last season. On Oct. 31, he announced that he was leaving the team to “focus on my mental well-being.” He had missed two games to that point for what the club called personal reasons.

He finished 2021 with 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Since being selected No. 26 overall by the Falcons in the 2018 draft, Ridley has 248 catches for 3,342 yards and 28 TDs in 49 games (35 starts).

In its statement, the NFL said there was no evidence that Ridley used inside information to place bets. There’s also no evidence that teammates or coaches were aware of his activity, the league said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 14, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill (72) on the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys DL Trysten Hill suspended 2 games for punch

The NFL suspended Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Trysten Hill two games without pay Monday for punching a Las Vegas player after their game last Thursday.

The suspension comes after review of video taken in the aftermath of the Raiders’ 36-33 win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Hill delivered a blow to Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson, knocking off his helmet.

Hill’s suspension will begin Thursday against the New Orleans Saints, though he has the right to appeal.

“You engaged in conduct that this office considers unnecessary roughness and displays a lack of sportsmanship,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Hill. “When you located him, you then walked toward him in the opposite direction of your locker room. You both engaged in a verbal chest-to-chest confrontation which you escalated by throwing an open hand punch to his facemask, forcible enough to cause your opponent’s helmet to come off.”

Hill, 23, had four tackles against the Raiders and has eight in three games this season. A second-round pick by Dallas in the 2019 draft, Hill has played in 15 games with five starts in three seasons.

–Field Level Media

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Derrius Guice before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

NFL suspends free agent RB Derrius Guice 6 games

Former Washington Football Team running back Derrius Guice was suspended for the first six games of the NFL season Friday, stemming from his domestic violence arrest last year.

Guice, currently a free agent, was arrested Aug. 7, 2020 on one count of felony strangulation, three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property. Prosecutors later dropped the felony charge, and the other charges were dismissed in June when Guice and his accuser reached a settlement.

A 2018 second-round draft pick by Washington, the team released him hours after his arrest.

Two women have also accused Guice of sexual assault while he was a student at LSU, among other allegations of sexual misconduct.

Following an investigation, LSU announced in April it was wiping out Guice’s records from the football program and was banning him from future involvement with the school.

Guice only appeared in five games for Washington due to multiple injuries, including an ACL tear suffered during a preseason game that wiped out his rookie year.

–Field Level Media

Dec 26, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Jordan Willis (78) during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

49ers DE Jordan Willis suspended six games for PED violation

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Jordan Willis was suspended for the first six games of the 2021 season on Thursday for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Willis, 26, is still allowed to participate in offseason activities, as well as the preseason, however he will be required to steer clear of the team when the regular season begins. He will be permitted to return to the roster after the conclusion of San Francisco’s Week 7 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. The 49ers have a Week 6 bye.

Willis signed a one-year contract in March to remain with the 49ers.

After playing in two games with the New York Jets last season, Willis was traded to the 49ers along with a seventh-round pick in 2021 for a sixth-round pick in 2022. He totaled 13 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery during his nine games with both teams.

Willis has recorded 65 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 50 career games with the Cincinnati Bengals, Jets and 49ers. The Bengals selected Willis in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Rashard Robinson (28), center, celebrates a tackle of Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) (not pictured) for a loss in the third quarter of a Week 14 NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Dallas Cowboys won, 30-7.

Dallas Cowboys At Cincinnati Bengals Dec 13

Cowboys CB Rashard Robinson gets 2-game PED suspension

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Rashard Robinson was suspended without pay for the first two games in 2021 for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Tuesday.

Robinson, 25, had 20 tackles in four games (three starts) in his first season with the Cowboys in 2020.

He missed the entire 2019 season after being suspended for the first 10 weeks for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Robinson is entering the second year of a two-year, $1.815 million contract with Dallas and is due to earn $990,000 in 2021, per Spotrac.

He will be allowed to participate in offseason and preseason activities.

A fourth-round pick by San Francisco in the 2016 NFL Draft, the LSU product has recorded 85 tackles and two interceptions in 42 games (18 starts) with the 49ers (2016-17), New York Jets (2017-18) and Cowboys.

–Field Level Media

Dec 26, 2020; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant (19) is tackled by Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson (26) at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Raiders CB Nevin Lawson suspended two games

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson has been suspended for the first two games of the upcoming season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, multiple media outlets reported.

Lawson, who signed a one-year contract for $1.9 million with the Raiders last month, will miss the season opener for the third straight year.

Lawson, 29, received a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances prior to the 2019 season opener. He also received a one-game ban for using his helmet as weapon in the 2019 season finale against the Denver Broncos, causing him to miss the first game of the 2020 campaign.

Lawson collected a career-high 61 tackles to go along with four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one sack in 14 games (nine starts) last season. He has 290 tackles, 34 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 88 games (68 starts) with the Detroit Lions and Raiders.

Lawson had four interceptions as a college senior at Utah State in 2013 before being a fourth-round pick by the Lions in 2014.

–Field Level Media