A potential suspension for Alvin Kamara after an offseason arrest is hanging over the Saints' 2022 season, but might it really be a problem for down the road?
Defense attorney and host of the Auction Brief podcast Drew Davenport joined SportsTalk this week and said that could very well be the case for the Saints RB, with a muddy timeline ahead for the many legal hurdles that will need to be cleared. The NFL typically will not levy discipline until after the court process is completed, and that could take some time.
“The personal conduct policy says 6 games for this type of charge, but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves because we don’t know if there’s going to be a conviction there or not," Davenport said. "… I think they’re going to be super smart with this, and I wouldn’t expect to see a resolution on Aug. 1."
Listen to the full interview with Drew Davenport in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The delayed discipline scenario was seen during the 2021 season as it pertained to Deonte Harris, who was arrested during the offseason. His case wrapped up midseason, and he was suspended for Weeks 14-16.
Kamara is facing charges stemming from an alleged assault at a Las Vegas nightclub prior to the Pro Bowl. The Saints RB and three others are facing charges in the incident. But not much has changed in the past several months, Davenport said, ahead of the return to court on Aug. 1. If another court date is set for months down the road, continuances could push the proceedings beyond the 2022 season.
Such a development wouldn't rescue Kamara from any potential discipline, but it'd be a bridge that gets crossed when it's in front of the team.
"They’re both painted into a corner here because there’s pretty ugly facts on one side and serious injuries," Davenport said. "And then on the other side you have a guy that really can’t take much of a deal because it’s going to affect his ability to stay on the football field. ... I think it’s going to just be a staring match until we get to a trial date and things can be worked out.”
Things could change if there's some tangible impetus for the NFL to act more swiftly, and that could involve the release of the reported video showing the incident. To this point it has not been released to the public and Davenport advises people to be wary on what they're assuming until that point.
“If I had a dollar for every time I saw a video that was not described properly, I’d already be retired,” he said.
If and when a suspension does come, six games would be the likely penalty. But it's not difficult to see why a 2023 suspension would be preferable to the season that begins in September. For one thing, it'd allow the team far more time to establish a secondary plan at running back. At present the team's positional depth is made up of 32-year-old Mark Ingram, Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., Devine Ozigbo and rookie UDFA Abram Smith.
2022 also marks a pivotal season in Saints history, and the first year of Dennis Allen's head coaching era would be much better off without the absence of its star running back for a third of the season. The team has clearly made the decision not to rebuild and to allow Jameis Winston a shot at leading the team at quarterback. A lot more will be known so far as the future of that plan by the time the 2023 season has arrived.
Kamara was in attendance and active for all three days of the team's mandatory minicamp last month, but he has not yet spoken with the media. Training camp begins later this month.
