Giants safety Will Hill is facing the third suspension of his brief NFL career because of a violation of the league’s drug policy, a penalty that would threaten his future as an NFL player because of his inability to stay on the field to help his team.
No details of what caused the suspension have come to light, although police said they smelled marijuana in Hill’s car when he was arrested last year for failing to pay child support. Hill hasn’t been talking publicly about the suspension or the cause, but he has told his teammates that he hasn’t done anything to trigger another suspension.
“Will is a guy that has definitely had his struggles, as well as anyone of us within this league,” Giants safety Antrel Rolle said, via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. “Right now, I’ve spoken to Will several times and he’s said, ‘Antrel, I’ve been clean.’ Right now, I have no choice but to go off what he says. Until we find out otherwise ...”
Raanan reports that the Giants were “crossing their fingers” that Hill would stay out of trouble this offseason, which leads him to write that “the problem with NFL rules” is that Giants coaches weren’t able to monitor Hill more closely. Rolle has a different view, however, and puts the onus on staying clean on Hill and Hill only.
“At the end of the of the day, an adult has to be an adult,” Rolle said. “Will has to be accountable for his own life. Will has to be smart enough and alert enough to know the dos and don’ts of this league.”
There have been other complaints about the rules limiting contact between coaches and players in the offseason, but Hill’s history of issues with drugs date back to college and we’re more inclined to take Rolle’s view that the responsibility for Hill’s behavior lies with Hill.