Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the NFL has suspended Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly for the entire 2010 season. According to Bedard, the league’s ban on Jolly has been formally characterized as “indefinite.”
Jolly violated league policy by allegedly “buying, selling, funding, transporting and aiding in the buying, selling, funding and transportation of illegal narcotics including cocaine and marijuana” from 2006 through May of 2008.
Though the NFL ultimately decided to suspend Jolly before his legal situation played out in court, the Packers’ offseason moves suggest they knew a lengthy ban was coming. Jolly was demoted out of the starting lineup in June, and replaced by converted nose tackle Ryan Pickett. 2009 first-round draft pick B.J. Raji is the new starting nose.
Jolly’s loss can’t help from a depth standpoint, but the Packers also took steps to shore that up by using a second-round pick on Mike Neal, and a seventh-rounder on C.J. Wilson.
The suspension doesn’t downgrade Green Bay’s promising outlook for 2010.