Dallas Cowboys defensive back Orlando Scandrick has been suspended by the National Football League for testing positive for drugs, admitting that he ingested illicit narcotics during a vacation trip to Mexico.
The ex-boyfriend of “Basketball Wives L.A.” star Draya Michele (or so she says they are split up) is banned from playing in the first four games of the 2014-15 regular season because he tested positive for banned substances. Reportedly, Scandrick said someone slipped a Molly in his champagne on a Saturday and that he was tested the very Monday when he returned to camp in Texas.
Scandrick has already appealed the suspension and lost. His four-game ban is upheld.
Scandrick is a significant blow for a Cowboys defense that ranked dead last in the NFL in 2013. Moreover, with defensive end DeMarcus Ware and defensive tackle Jason Hatcher leaving in the offseason, and linebacker Sean Lee out for the season with a devastating ACL tear, Scandrick leaves the Cowboys’ defense dangerously thin and they threaten to be even worse than last year.
Scandrick was the Cowboys’ top cornerback last season and one of the team’s few bright spots on defense through the first two weeks of training-camp practices.
Scandrick’s image and team leadership role are severely compromised as he was considered one of the team’s emotional leaders and well-respected among his defensive peers.
Scandrick had just signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension before the start of the 2011 season. The 2013 extension added $9 million in guaranteed money.
This was resultant from Scandrick’s dramatically improved play. He set career-highs last season for tackles (70), pass breakups (15) and interceptions (two). Last season, he ranked fifth on the team in tackles, second in pass breakups and third in interceptions.
Worse, his competition for the starting defensive back position with Claiborne is finished. But Clairborne hasn’t finished a practice since July 29 while battling right knee tendinitis and he has battled injuries the past few seasons, opening the way for Scandrick’s emergence. He said he’s close to returning. Claiborne and Carr could be back in team drills this week.
Yesterday, Scandrick released a statement following his suspension announcement through his agent. The agent also added a statement of his own. See what he and the agent have to say below: