Bad News for the Jets: Sheldon Richardson has Legal Trouble and Jets getting struck by Injuries

Sheldon Richardson -from the Huffington Post

As training camp got underway this week for the Jets, spirits were high for the fans because football season was a little bit closer. But the Jets received some horrible news on Thursday afternoon when the public learned about Sheldon Richardson’s latest run in with the law. Richardson was arrested for going 143 mph in a road race while having a 12 year-old child in the car with him. And if those two things weren’t bad enough, he also had a handgun and according to reports, the car “reaked of” marijuana.

Richardson was suspended four games by the NFL for testing positive for marijuana. After that first incident, he publicly apologized and he said that he learned his lesson and it will never happen again. Richardson clearly did not learn his lesson and one would have to question the sincerity of his apology.

Richardson’s future may have already been in jeopardy after his original four game suspension, but now there are questions as to whether or not he will ever play another down with the Jets. His suspension will be long and harsh, as it should be since he is a repeat offender. One could assume that his suspension will be at least for the rest of the season.

With that being said, Muhammad Wilkerson will be signed to a long term deal because he is clearly more trustworthy than Richardson.

On top of that, Leonard Williams will now have time to blossom. Originally he was only going to start the first four games in place of Richardson. But now, he will likely have the entire season as a starter. And learning behind guys like Wilkerson and Damon Harrison can only help the number six overall pick develop.

If the Richardson news wasn’t bad enough, the Jets had an unfortunate injury news on the offensive side. This year’s second round pick, Devon Smith from Ohio State, cracked a rib in camp and punctured his lung. Smith will be sidelined from football activities for the next four to six weeks. This injury is a slight setback, yet it is not detrimental. They still have Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, and recently acquired Brandon Marshall.

It has been a rough few days for gang green, but the expectations for the season have not changed. Despite losing Richardson, the defensive line will still be very good. And despite losing Smith for an extended period of time, the receiving core should be good enough to get by for the for-seeable future .