KIRKLAND – After more than a month of speculation, the NFL is finally expected to deliver a dose of bad news to the Seattle Seahawks today.
Wide receiver Koren Robinson, who is second on the team with 31 receptions, is expected to be suspended for four games after violating the league’s policy on substance abuse and personal conduct. Robinson had an appeal heard last Tuesday, and CBS reported Sunday that the appeal has been denied.
Robinson was in uniform for Sunday’s 24-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, but he did not play because of an undisclosed disciplinary issue that is unrelated to the possible suspension. Jerry Rice started in his place.
Because of league rules barring either the team or Robinson from commenting on the nature of the suspension, the circumstances surrounding the impending decision are unclear.
What is known is that Robinson has had three strikes against him during his four-year NFL career, at least one of which could have stemmed from a February 2003 incident in which he was arrested outside a Raleigh, N.C., bar for failure to disperse.
The other two strikes could have been related to alcohol, drugs, personal conduct or failing to submit a urine test.
Robinson has had a rough season from the get-go, as he’s dropped 10 passes this year while often drawing the ire of fans. Rumors of the possible suspension first leaked one month ago, even though his appeal was not heard until last Tuesday, and the acquisition of Rice led to further questions about Robinson’s role.
All the talk didn’t seem to bother Robinson, who said two weeks ago that he wasn’t going to let it affect his play.
“It is what it is,” he said on Nov. 2. “Everybody else makes a big deal of it because it’s happening to Koren Robinson, a player who plays for the Seahawks.
“Me, I’m Koren Robinson regardless. I’ve always been Koren Robinson. And stuff’s going to happen, bad or good. So it is what it is.”
Robinson’s possible suspension would cost him Sunday’s game against Buffalo, followed by games against Dallas, at Minnesota, and at the New York Jets. Rice is expected to remain in the starting lineup during that span.
Rice, 42, has caught just 12 passes this season, including seven with the Seahawks. He had three receptions and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over Miami.
Rice has started eight games this season, including two when the Seahawks opened in multiple-receiver sets. He was a starter for the Oakland Raiders through the first five games of the season before being dealt to Seattle for a seventh-round draft pick on Oct. 19.
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