Keefer Madness: Players Suspended By NFL For More Games Than Brady
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NFL came down hard on Tom Brady and the Patriots on Monday, suspending the quarterback for four games for his role in the recent Deflategate controversy.
The team was also hit with a $1 million fine and docked two draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2016.
So for Monday's edition of Keefer Madness on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Rich Keefe put together a list of all the NFL suspensions that were more than four games, excluding drug related suspensions.
"Some of those are collectively bargained, two or three strikes," Keefe explained. "So lets go back, in order."
Enjoy the history lesson!
Art Folz – Suspended for life for being directly involved in Chicago Cardinals-Milwaukee Badgers Scandal of 1925
Folz, a quarterback/halfback/fullback for Chicago, hired a group of High School players to play for the Badgers against the Cardinals, hoping to improve their record and a chance to steal the championship from the Potsville Maroons.
Then NFL President Joseph Carr said the 59-0 win by the Cardinals would be striken from the record books, but he never got around to doing so. A year later, Folz' ban was lifted but he chose not to continue his football career.
Frank Filchock, Merle Hapes – Two days before the 1946 NFL Championship game, Giants QB Frank Filchock and fullback Merle Hapes were accused of taking bets to fix the game.
Both were suspended for life, but Filchock was reinstated in 1950
Alex Karras, Paul Horung – The Two NFL stars were suspended indefinitely in 1963 for betting on games.
The suspensions were re-evaluated the next year though, and both players returned to the league for the 1964 season.
Art Schlichter– The Colts quarterback, the fourth overall pick in 1982, was suspended for the 1983 season for a lots and lots of gambling. He was reinstated in 1964.
Albert Haynesworth – Received a five-game suspension in 2006 for stomping on the head of Cowboys center Andre Gurode, who needed 30 stitches to close the cuts caused by the Haynesworth's cleats.
Adam "PacMan" Jones – The Tenessee Titans corner was suspended for the 2007 season for attacking a stripper and threatening a security guard in Las Vegas.
Chris Henry – The late Bengals receiver was suspended for eight games in 2007 for violating the league's player conduct policy, following his lengthy history of off-field issues.
Tank Johnson – The Chicago defensive tackle was suspended eight games for possession of firearms and violating his probation.
Michael Vick – The Falcons quarterback was suspended indefinitely in 2007 after pleading guilty to federal charges of participating in a dog fighting ring. He was out of the league for two seasons while he served a 21 month jail sentence.
Donte Stallworth – The former Patriots wide receiver was suspended for the 2009 season after being charged with DUI manslaughter in April.
Plaxico Burress -- The wide receiver was suspended by the New York Giants for conduct detrimental to the team after accidently shooting himself in a New York night club.
Ben Roethlisberger – The Steelers quarterback was suspended by the league for six games (which was later reduced to four) for being accused of sexual assault in 2010.
Terrelle Pryor – Despite this happening while he was in college, Prior was suspended for five games in 2011 for receiving tattoos while at Ohio State.
Chris Cook – The corner was suspended indefinitely in 2011 for domestic assault charges, accused of strangling his girlfriend. He was acquitted of the chargers in 2012 and returned to the NFL.
Jonathan Vilma – Was suspended for the 2012 season for his role in the Saints "Bountygate" scandal.
His suspension was overturned in September though, and he was reinstated for the 2012 season. Goodell then suspended him and three other players in October, which was also overturned when reviewed by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Vilma filed a defamation suit against Goodell, but it was dropped in 2013. He had an interesting response over the weekend when asked if he had any advice for Brady on Twitter:
Josh Brent – The Dallas defensive lineman was charged with intoxication manslaughter in 2012 after slipping his car and killing teammate Jerry Brown in a motor vehicle accident. Police say Brent was driving over 110 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the accident.
The NFL suspended Brent for 10 games.
Greg Hardy – Hardy was suspended by the NFL for 10 games last month for conduct detrimental to the league, stemming from his conviction last summer on two counts of domestic violence against his former girlfriend in North Carolina.