Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was suspended for the final four games of what had been a breakout 2011 season after he violated the league's substance abuse policy with multiple failed drug tests for marijuana.
The suspension did not keep the Redskins from placing the franchise tag on Davis, who says his drug use will not be an issue going forward.
"It already happened now, and you can't cry over spilled milk. The worst part of my day was losing those four games, and having to sit and not help my teammates," Davis said, via Mike Jones of The Washington Post. "So, the worst is over, something I can learn from, and something that's not going to come up again."
Davis caught 59 passes for 796 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games before sitting the final games of the season -- forfeiting more than $141,000 in salary. Former NFL offensive lineman Lomas Brown said that at least 50 percent of the players in the league smoke marijuana, so that Davis did during the lockout was not a surprise.
The stakes for Davis continuing to do so have increased significantly as his franchise tender is worth $5.446 million in base salary. Further substance abuse policy violations this season would result in Davis potentially forfeiting half of that salary and would impact his ability to ever get a long-term contract in the NFL.
