He appeared in court on Monday and then was unable (due to the weather) to get back to the team on Tuesday. Now, Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus returned. And he celebrated not by drag racing a teammate but issuing a statement.
“After dealing with a personal matter in Alabama, I am excited to return to training camp to rejoin my teammates in our preparations for the 2014 season,” Dareus said in a quote issued by the team. “Right now, my focus is on earning the trust of my teammates, coaches and the fans while continuing to improve as a football player. I have a passion for this game and I want to be here to help this organization achieve its goals. There are things I need to work on professionally and personally to make sure I can be accountable to myself, my family, this team and this community. My focus will remain on achieving that goal one day at a time. I want to thank the Bills organization, Coach Marrone and the coaching staff, my teammates and our fans for their continued support.”
One of those one-days-at-a-time presumably will include Dareus passing the pre-camp conditioning test, which he failed when he initially arrived at camp, drawing deserved criticism for failing to keep himself in a basic level of fitness at a time when football players find a way to stay in excellent shape throughout the year.