Timmons reinstated before trip to London
LB missed opener, was suspended by team before loss to Jets.
Less than 48 hours before the team was to leave for a game Sunday in London, the Dolphins reinstated linebacker Lawrence Timmons after one week of suspension, a league source confirmed Tuesday.
Timmons was suspended after the team could not locate him the day before the season opener at the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to a media report, police located Timmons at a California airport, preparing to board a flight for Pennsylvania. The report indicated Timmons felt he needed to see his child.
Timmons signed a two-year, $12 million contract before the season after spending his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was clear in the first two weeks that Miami could use a hard-hitting, veteran linebacker who can also run, cover and blitz.
Coach Adam Gase and the organization had kept their views of the Timmons situation close to the vest.
After Timmons disappeared, the Dolphins enacted an indefinite suspension, which now ends.
Timmons is expected to play against the Saints in London, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. To cleararoster spot, the Dolphins waived linebacker Justin March-Lillard, a strong special-teams player.
Many of Timmons’ teammates spoke out after the suspension, saying if and when Gase was ready to accept Timmons back on to the team, they were, too.
“He’s a guy that can help this football team win, a veteran guy who’s played a lot in this league,” Reshad Jones said. “I mean, everybody has off-the-field issues or whatever, so he has his issues he’s got to deal with. Hopefully, he can come back and help us.”
Defensive back Michael Thomas said: “We’re counting on him. We want him to be there. Nobody in
this locker room will tell you they don’t want that man on this team. So for a player like me, if he goes through whatever he needs to go through with Coach Gase and he comes back ready to roll, as long as he’s not changing the culture of this locker room, I’ll welcome him back.”
With the Timmons situation seemingly behind him, Gase is OK with pretty much anything Dolphins players say, an essential element of the way he runs the team. But there’s one thing he won’t abide. Anyone who complains about the difficulties of this year’s travel schedule does so at significant risk.
The Dolphins were set to play this three-week stretch in Los Angeles, New York and London either way, but it was made more challenging by the threat of Hurricane Irma. Miami’s original opener, a home game against Tampa Bay, was rescheduled for November, and that decision eliminated the team’s bye week.
The Dolphins spent the entire week of preparation for the Chargers at a hotel in Oxnard, Calif., and have another unusual week in front of them now. The team will fly to London on Thursday, practice Friday and hope the players have adjusted to the five-hour time difference by Sunday’s game against New Orleans, which will kick off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
“We’ve talked to the right people as far as how we want to sleep, nutrition, what we need to do to combat flying as much as we have so far,” Gase said. “It’s really about following what everybody is advising our players to do. It’s just whether or not guys want to do it that way. You can’t hold everybody’s hand. At some point, you have to be a man and do it right and be a pro athlete. Guys that want to do it right are usually the ones that have success. The guys that don’t, don’t end up lasting very long.”
No players used that excuse after getting pounded by New York, but the defeat was so jarring that it sent everyone “I greatly respect and looking for an explanation. appreciate the Broward Gase would rather hear his County State Attorney’s Office players admit they got clob- for their hard work and thorbered, though, than listen to ough investigation into this them blame it on the schedmatter, and I am thankful that ule. they were able to come to a
“All I know is, we’re going to conclusion that reaffirms the line up on Sunday and play,” true facts that no crime was Gase said after the loss. “So if committed,” Landry said. somebody has an issue with “My daughter’s mother and that, they better check their I will continue to co-parent, profession.” to raise our child in a happy
Landry won’t face and healthy environment.” charges: Receiver Jarvis Landry’s girlfriend, Estrella Landry will not face charges Cerqueira, had issued a statefrom the Broward State Attorment saying it was no more ney’s Office stemming from an than “a vocal argument.” April 1 incident in Fort Lauder- She said she “was not in dale involving his girlfriend. any way physically harmed”
“I am very thankful that this and called upon the media matter is over and my famto cease reporting “a comily and I can put this behind pletely false story.” us now,” Landry said in a Fort Lauderdale police statement. responded to a 911 call placed
Although the issue has by someone other than Cerplayed out in the legal system, queira. The police report it remains under review by the listed no weapons involved. NFL under its personal conduct policy, a league spokes- man said. The league has the option of imposing penalties independent of Landry not being charged.