In the past few weeks, the Miami Dolphins and their loyal fanbase have been on a roller coaster of emotions. After beating the Los Angeles Chargers in a close game on Sunday, they arrived back in Davie, FL, for preparation. They are slated to play against New York Jets, but there is still the issue of Lawrence Timmons. On Saturday evening, the veteran linebacker went AWOL, and fans were waiting to see how the issue would be handled. Well, they suspended LB Lawrence Timmons and replaced him with LB Stephone Anthony.
Timmons wanted to see his daughter
The team’s head coach announced on Tuesday that they had suspended Timmons indefinitely. He was inactive during the Sunday’s game after he left and was not seen in his hotel room on Saturday night. Following his absence, the team filed a missing person report after calling his family and friends to know his whereabouts. He returned to the team on Sunday and wanted to play in Week 2, but the team decided otherwise. On Monday, it was reported that he was doing much better and wanted to resume playing immediately and the player was scheduled to meet the doctors to determine the reason for his sudden departure. Another report from Sports Illustrated indicated that after the missing person report was filed, Timmons was eventually found at the airport ready to board a plane to Pennsylvania to meet his daughter.
A player can only be forced to miss four games according to CBA rules
When he was asked about Timmons situation after Sunday’s game, Adam Gase, who is Dolphin’s head coach, said that he had two rules, a player to be on time and play hard. However, CBA rules dictate that a player can only be forced to miss a maximum of four games.
It’s still unclear though if the linebacker will be reinstated as his suspension was labeled “indefinite.” The head coach declined to respond after he was asked on Monday whether Timmons had a future with the team and said he had other things to deal with.
Timmons might not get $4.5 million
The Miami Dolphins signed Lawrence Timmons to a two-year $12 million deal with a guarantee of $11 million, and he was in his first year.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that the linebacker’s indefinite suspension could make him lose $4.5 million from the guaranteed money he expected to get in 2018. Before joining the team, he played for Steelers for 10 seasons. Timmons was a respected veteran, and he even brought a Super Bowl pedigree to the locker room.
The Dolphins acquired linebacker Stephone Anthony, who was playing for new orleans Saints, as a replacement for Timmons. Both teams confirmed the trade and they are expected to battle in London in week 4.
