The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mood somber with Collins banned
Cornerback says he’ll try to regain team’s trust.
FLOWERY BRANCH — It was an open-field Devonta Freeman-like spin move, only it was verbal.
When Falcons coach Dan Quinn was asked last week if cornerback Jalen Collins was in hot water with the NFL, he knew his player was being investigated for a second violation of the NFL’s drug policy. The appeal process was already churning.
But the coach claimed nothing was out of the ordinary. Collins also denied that he had an issue with the league office after being asked why a starter in the Super Bowl was suddenly practicing with the third team.
That narrative fell apart Sunday when the team announced Collins was suspended for 10 games for violating the league’s performance enhancement drug policy.
“I’m always going to protect the player,” said Quinn on Monday, admitting he was hoping that Collins would win his appeal and the matter would blow over. “I think for those of you who know me, that’s not going to change. At that time, I knew there was an issue with the league.
“I didn’t know if it was going to resolved to his side or away. I didn’t know if that would take place in July, August or September.”
With Collins’ status in limbo, it was decided cornerbacks C.J. Goodwin and Deji Olatoye would start receiving the second team reps in practice.
If Collins had won his appeal, he would have been moved back up to the second team.
“(General manager) Thomas (Dimitroff ) and myself made the decision that we would move him until we had ... clarity,” Quinn said. “Then we could make the best decision. So, in that instance, we were protecting the team.”
Said Collins, “Everybody is really disappointing, including myself.”
It was a second strike for Collins, who was suspended for four games last season. Both Quinn and Collins addressed the team Monday. “We are very disappointed,” Quinn said.
All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones said the mood of the team was somber after they
received Collins’ news.
“I don’t know what Jalen did or whatever,” Jones said. “That’s his story to tell y’all what he did. Our thing is just to stay strong and help one another.”
Collins, a bigger cornerback at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, was projected to help match up with some of the bigger receivers in the NFC South while playing on special teams.
The former second-round pick from LSU became a starter down the stretch last season after Desmond Trufant suffered a season-ending torn pectoral injury.
“We all felt bad (for anyone) in that situation because this is a player-led team,” Jones said. “We are going to keep working day-in and day-out. He’s got his things he has to deal with and we just have to continue to try to get better every day.”
Collins declined to reveal what performance enhancement drug that he used. “We are not really going to get into specifics,” Collins said. “I made a mistake and I’m going to learn from it.”
But Collins made similar statements after last season’s suspension. “This is something that I’ve been struggling with,” Collins said. “I’m working on it, to put behind me and I’m ready to move forward.”
The suspension will cost him $540,141 in base salary. Collins also knows he may have lost his team’s trust.
“Just take care of things on my end and when I’m in the building, give everything
to the team,” Collins said of his immediate future. “Trying to be the best teammate and the best brother that I can be.”
Quinn acknowledged there were some red flags when the Falcons drafted Collins and that they still persist regarding his decision-making. He was also perturbed that Collins didn’t reach out to his teammates about his “problem.”
“Off the field, it’s the trust issues,” Quinn said. “Can we get back to where it could be a trusting relationship both with the team, staff, personnel and basically with the organization?”
Collins would not say when he first became aware there was an issue with the league.
“We knew, but we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Collins said. “I made a mistake. I let a lot of people down. I’m really just trying to move on. I know what I’ve got to do to get past this.”
Collins practiced with the team Monday and can continue to work out throughout the exhibition season. His suspension starts with the beginning of the regular season.
The team is considering its options but noted that Collins’ release was not imminent “today or tomorrow.”
“The disappointment for having a second repeat offense is stronger,” Quinn said. “This just came through yesterday. Some trust has been broken. We’ll take all the time that we need to make the best decision for the team.”