Rolando McClain’s issues reportedly run deep.
McClain is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The Dallas Cowboys linebacker tested positive for an opiate commonly referred to as “purple drank” — a combination of Sprite, cough syrup and codeine — and not marijuana, as some had previously believed, sources told The Dallas Morning News.
“Even we don’t know all the details,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones reportedly said after Tuesday’s walkthrough. “We just don’t know.”
It’s unclear at this point whether McClain will ever play in the NFL again. The 27-year-old is in Stage 3 of the league’s substance abuse policy, meaning he faces a minimum one-year suspension if he’s told to enter a treatment program and doesn’t comply. Plus, McClain already has retired twice in his NFL career before later returning to the gridiron, and he reported to Cowboys minicamp 30 pounds overweight back in June, according to The Dallas Morning News.
McClain, who was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the eighth overall pick in 2008, was a standout at Alabama. He hasn’t lived up to expectations at the next level, though, as personal troubles have continued to plague him.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
