Bills’ Marcell Dareus Suspended for Opener
Buffalo Bills All-Pro defensive lineman Marcell Dareus has been suspended by the NFL for Week 1 of the 2015 season due to a prior arrest for drug possession.
Dareus, whose career-high 10 sacks in 2014 led all interior linemen, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop in his native Alabama last May.
“Last year, I made a mistake involving possession of a banned substance,” said Dareus in a statement released by the Bills. “The NFL’s discipline for this conduct is part of the drug policy, and I apologize to my family, my teammates, the entire Bills organization and Bills fans that I will miss one game as a result of my mistake. I will work intensely that week and will be extremely happy to contribute to a win in Week 2 for the Bills.”
Dareus will sit out Buffalo’s season opener at home against Indianapolis and will be eligible to return when the Bills host defending Super Bowl champion New England on September 20.
The third overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, Dareus has started 60-of-63 games during his four-year tenure with Buffalo. The 25-year-old racked up 71 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks in 2013, then earned First Team All-Pro honors during his double-digit sack campaign last season.
