A very important teammate wasn’t there to console Darnell Dockett after his injury
Aug 19, 2014, 3:17 PM | Updated: Apr 28, 2015, 2:00 pm
Was is it worth it Daryl?
As Darnell Dockett laid on the ground, I couldn’t help but think about that question.
Carson Palmer immediately went to Dockett as he laid on the ground. Calais Campbell stood above his fallen defensive linemate hoping what he was seeing was a messed up dream. One by one, different players tapped Dockett before moving the 11-on-11 drill 15 yards away from Darnell’s torn ACL. One player who didn’t approach Dockett was Daryl Washington because he believed violating the league’s substance abuse policy was more worthwhile than being there for Dockett.
Sure, you can argue Washington wasn’t thinking his Pro-Bowl defensive end that protects him, allowing him to run free, would tear his ACL in practice. I would argue that the sentence can stop with “Washington wasn’t thinking.”
At the first chance the defense had during practice, they took a knee to pray for Dockett. Washington was not there. Only the defensive players that can be counted on attended the impromptu prayer session. The Cardinals need Washington, now more than ever, and he’s not there while serving his 16-game suspension.
Docket was the definition of dependability. Washington is known for the exact opposite. Starting next year, Washington will have missed an average of almost five games a year in his NFL career. Dockett has averaged one missed game every five years of his NFL career.
Steve Keim planned on a defense led by Todd Bowles with Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie, Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett and Daryl Washington. Five players that either are or could develop into NFL stars. They’re now down to three.
In order for Washington to have been suspended for 16 games, he must have tested positive at least three times since he was never convicted of a drug-related crime. If Washington was playing well this preseason, the Dockett loss would have been difficult to swallow but not devastating. Instead, neither man is playing. One man because he never quit on his teammates and another man because he never wanted to quit.
