Sorry to send you off into the 4th of July holiday like this, everyone, but it’s official: Julian Edelman’s appeal was denied and he’ll be suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season.
NOT GREAT, BOB.
Pro Football Talk reports that an arbitrator ruled against Edelman on Tuesday, so apparently Jules’s 1-2 punch appeal of testing for an “unrecognizable substance” (which is definitely this year’s version of “more probable than not”, right?) and the NFL not handling his test results correctly didn’t cut the mustard. Neither did lawyering up with heavyweight sports attorney Alex Spiro. Should’ve hired Richard Sherman.
Jules can still participate in training camp and the preseason, per PFT, but then he has to get lost for four weeks in September while the Patriots play the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and Dolphins, in that order.
ESPN points out that Edelman could take his appeal to federal court, but for the love of pizza, let’s not do that again.
Fortunately, and probably not by coincidence, the Patriots loaded up at wide receiver this offseason in pretty much every way they could short of outbidding the Dolphins’ $12,000,000 contract for Danny Amendola. They picked up Kenny Britt’s option, they signed Jordan Matthews after his career got Buffalo’ed, and they snagged Braxton Berrios out of Miami on Day 3 of the draft. They also re-signed running back Rex Burkhead, who should see a lot more action this year after missing half a dozen games last year.
Fortunately for Edelman, he gets a matchup almost as tasty as when Brady came back in 2016 against the Cleveland Browns - when Julian suits up in Week 5, the Patriots play the Colts. In New England’s house.
Which, ever since Peyton started suiting up in hunting-gear orange, that’s worked out pretty well for the Patriots, so, there’s always that.
Feel free to tell us how you really feel in the comments.