NFL player suspensions for 2018 season

Any player worth their salt in the National Football League knows that it is always important to stay on the right side of "The Shield". But as evidenced by recent years, even some of the top players in the NFL have managed to find their way to the outhouse and be saddled with a suspension by the league. The upcoming 2018 season is no different: Besides some who would be suspected as usual problem children, several big names have been suspended by the NFL, from beloved veterans to star playmakers. The latest of these was New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who was hit with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs on Thursday. Edelman is currently appealing the suspension.

In the post-Deflategate world, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have seen their power expand over players to the point where they are judge, jury, and executioner. The past several years have seen high-profile suspensions and ensuing legal fights that followed, such as was the case for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

In the leadup to 2018, the NFL has been fortunate not to be faced with a similar situation. Although the only current player suspensions are for violations of the league's PED policy and the league's policy on substance abuse, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster finds himself in a precarious position stemming from his offseason legal problems. While Foster was absolved of any wrongdoing after his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, the NFL is now mulling a suspension for the second-year player after he was hit with a misdemeanor assault weapons charge by the state of California for owning a SIG Sauer 516 with a high-capacity magazine illegal in the state. In spite of that, Foster has yet to be formally disciplined by the league.

Here is a recap of each player to have been suspended for the 2018 offseason, and how much time they will miss.