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The suspension of Patriots receiver Julian Edelman is as official as possible. On Tuesday, as announced for the first time by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports NFL reported that Edelman's appeal was denied, which means that his four … the suspension of the game has been confirmed.
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Thus, Edelman will miss the games of the Patriots against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and dolphins. He will be eligible to return before the fifth game of the Patriots' season, which will be played against the Colts.
Edelman, who missed all last season with a torn ACL was ] initially suspended a month ago for breaking the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. However, as John Breech explained last week there was reason to believe that Edelman had a chance to win his appeal:
According to ESPN.com, Edelman will appeal his four-game suspension on Monday. and the receiver of the Patriots plans to focus on two key points of his case. The first problem that could help Edelman is that the receptor has been tested positive for an unknown substance. As MMQB.com reported on June 11 the NFL had to ask scientists to analyze the substance because the league's testers did not recognize it.
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The other question that Edelman will use to try to win his case revolves around the chain of possession. According to ESPN.com, the team at Edelman believes that there has been a "mishandling of the documentation and delivery" of the receiver test results. Apparently, the league made several mistakes while handling Edelman's tests.
Apparently, these arguments did not work. As a result, Tom Brady will be deprived of one of his favorite weapons early in the season. From 2013 to 2016, Edelman averaged 957 yards and five touchdowns per season. His suspension of four games will be exacerbated by the absence of Danny Amendola, who left for Miami in free will and Brandin Cooks, who was traded to Los Angeles.
Yet, if a team is built to overcome the loss of a key player, it's the Patriots. This situation will probably not be one that will bring down the NFL Empire's version. The Patriots may not have Edelman for four games, but they will find a way to replace him with a coaching committee that includes Chris Hogan, Jordan Matthews, Malcolm Mitchell, Phillip Dorsett and Kenny Britt. In addition, the Patriots are a team that relies heavily on their backs to catch the passes coming out of the backfield and that probably will not change with James White still present. And then, there is the simple fact that the tight end of superstar Rob Gronkowski has not retired.
To put it simply, the Patriots will be fine without Edelman. And who knows, maybe the suspension will be the best thing for him, considering that he is coming out of a torn ACL and could use an extra recovery time. The Patriots do not need Edelman in September. But they will need him in January and probably February too.
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