FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson has been suspended by the NFL for the first game of the 2016 regular season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Richardson will be eligible to return to the Jets’ active roster on Sept. 12 following the team’s Sept. 11 opener against Cincinnati. But he can participate in all preseason practices and games.
He pleaded guilty in January to resisting arrest after police clocked him driving at speeds as high as 143 mph in Missouri last July. Resisting arrest is listed by the NFL as a violation of the personal conduct policy.
A St. Charles County judge sentenced Richardson to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service after he drove a 2014 Bentley Silver Spur at high speeds on an interstate near his off-season home.
Richardson’s guilty plea to the most serious offence will be wiped from his record if he successfully completes probation. He also pleaded guilty to speeding and running a red light and was fined. Two other traffic offences were reduced to muffler violations to which he pleaded guilty.
Richardson was accompanied by a 12-year-old relative and two male passengers when he was stopped. Police say they found a loaded semi-automatic handgun under a floor mat and detected a strong marijuana odour.
He was not charged for the gun possession or marijuana, nor were his passengers charged.
Richardson was suspended for the first four games last season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He was the 2013 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
