Raiders coach Hue Jackson (pictured doing his best Gene Simmons impersonation) has not decided — or, if he has, he hasn’t publicly indicated — whether middle linebacker Rolando McClain will play on Sunday, three days after being arrested on multiple charges in Alabama arising from allegations that he stuck a gun in someone’s face before pulling it away and firing it near the man’s ear.
Per a league source, it’s believed that McClain will indeed play when the Raiders face the Dolphins.
Fueling that belief is the reality that the Raiders’ preliminary investigation has uncovered information that contradicts the allegations against McClain. Although Jackson has expressed frustration with McClain and indicated that McClain was “remorseful” when the player and the coach met on Saturday, those feelings relate to the fact that McClain allowed himself to be in a situation that gave rise to the allegations. With the team determining that, for now, the allegations are not substantiated, the team may not be inclined to take action against McClain.
Of course, McClain could be benched for a series or two as punishment for allowing himself to be in a bad situation.
Again, it’s fair to wonder whether and to what extent the situation would be handled differently if McClain occupied one of the positions that constantly churn at the bottom of the 53-man roster. We’ll defer that analysis until it happens. As to McClain, expect to see him in uniform and on the field.