Giants WR Brandon Collins Suspended by the NFL

Playing professional football is a dream that thousands of amateur players share. Some of them do whatever it takes to make to the NFL; they sacrifice their social life and their time with their families and friends. They spend hours training and doing their best on the field. Other players simply mess things up before they even start their careers. That’s exactly what happened to New York Giants free-agent wide receiver Brandon Collins, who according to an announcement released by the NFL this Monday, was suspended without pay for the first four games of the regular season due to violations to the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Now, you don't need to be a hardcore NFL fan or a sportsbook betting expert to know that kind of thins usually means your career is hanging by a thread, even more if you're nothing but a rookie.

Weeks ago, the 24-year old wide receiver had a long shot to make the Giants team, but after this new episode, he may have no shot at all once he comes back from his forced “vacation”. His four-game suspension effectively ends on Sept. 30, the day after the Giants play the Kansas City Chiefs.  The suspension is nothing but another blemish on Collins’ resume. Having missed the 2009 season at the University of Texas due to academic ineligibility; Collins was dismissed from the Texas Longhorns team in 2010 after an arrest for aggravated robbery.

Collins was then transferred to Southeastern Louisiana and spent part of last season on the Giants’ practice squad.  The wide receiver was undrafted and played no official games in the National Football League, but spent most of the year on the Giants' practice squad and was eligible to take part in all offseason and preseason practices and games. However, the four-game suspension could mean the end of his career, at least with the Giants.

Collins is allowed to take part in all offseason practices and preseason games, but as we all know, there’s no room for trouble makers in the NFL, and at this point, is highly unlikely that the Giants keep him with the team when the regular season starts.