Daryl Washington comes in second on a bad list

When the 2012 NFL season came to a close, the Arizona Cardinals were 5-11 and in need of some major changes.

That’s what happens when plenty goes wrong for a team.

However, one thing that went right was the season linebacker Daryl Washington had. A third-year pro, Washington elevated his game to a Pro-Bowl level by tallying 134 total tackles to go along with nine sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception.

He stepped up his play after signing a long-term deal with the team, and his future appeared to be nothing but bright.

And then the offseason happened.

First, on April 3, word came out that Washington would be suspended for the first four games of the regular season due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Then, as if the drug violation was not bad enough, one month later Washington was arrested and booked on allegations of a domestic violence incident.

Needless to say, Washington’s offseason has not gone too well, and SI.com’s Chris Burke ranked the Cardinals’ as the second-worst in the NFL.

2. Daryl Washington: Double whammy. Washington drew a four-game suspension back in April for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, then he was arrested in May for domestic assault, with his ex-girlfriend accusing him of grabbing her by the throat and pushing her, causing her to break her collarbone. That situation could lead to an additional suspension, once the legal proceedings play out. At the very least, Washington will miss the first quarter of the 2013 season and likely has a short leash in Arizona now.

The only person who Burke says has had a worse offseason than Washington is Titus Young, who was arrested four separate times in a 10-day span.

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