The Miami Dolphins have their reasons for sidelining cornerback Vontae Davis for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and they're saying publicly that it isn't because his hamstring is too injured for him to play.
Beyond that, however, they're keeping the full explanation private.
The strange situation has created some confusion within the Dolphins' locker room, while also resulting in a separate revelation (learned by NFL.com) about a confrontation between Davis and wide receiver Brandon Marshall that occurred this week.
Davis had to be restrained after Marshall started "talking (trash) and crossed the line," a source with knowledge of the altercation said. The source wouldn't provide specific details of what set off Davis.
"Vontae was about to rip his head off," the source said.
The altercation never became physical, and neither player threw any punches.
Davis told a few people close to him that he believed he wasn't making the trip to Kansas City as a result of the altercation, but a separate team source adamantly denied the claim, adding that the cornerback "knows exactly" why he didn't make the trip.
Sources close to Marshall, who traveled with the team Saturday, hadn't even heard about the altercation.
The team didn't elaborate on the reason for leaving Davis in Miami, only to call it "non-injury" related. Davis has been rehabilitating his hamstring after missing last week's game, but the hamstring isn't responding or healing as expected.
Davis did practice in a limited role this week, and he wants to keep playing this season, despite a few people close to him advising against getting on the field too soon.
Davis has been seeing an independent trainer to help him recover from the hamstring injury, but the team's training staff told him two weeks ago he could no longer use that trainer. Davis hasn't returned to the trainer since then.
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