Trent Williams and Fred Davis started their suspension in a tough manner: apologizing to their teammates in a meeting Wednesday morning.
“You could tell it was tough for them,” Redskins guard Chris Chester said. “Not that we ever thought that they didn’t care about what was going on. You knew. It’s a tough position to be in and being accountable is tough. It showed some character. I’m glad they did it.”
Both players were officially suspended for the last four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Both are repeat offenders and weren’t suspended for an entire year only because the NFL Players’ Association negotiated a lesser punishment, partly because of positive tests during the lockout.
Their teammates weren’t harsh, at least publicly. But part of the players’ disappointment stems not just from the fact that they were caught, but that there are ways to get around testing positive. Also, there’s a belief that if it keeps happening then it’s a problem. And that’s a concern, one player said.
Right tackle Jammal Brown said to him it’s the same as if someone made a mistake on the field.
“I don’t look at it no different,” he said. “I won’t hold no grudge against [Williams] or anything like that. I’m sure he’s on himself enough for what happened. I look at it like he messed up and hopefully he learns from his mistakes.”
“They know they made a mistake,” quarterback Rex Grossman said, “and they have to pay some harsh consequences for it.”
