Buccaneers' Rival Star Running Back Expected to Be Suspended

The Saints' star will be meeting with Roger Goodell on Wednesday before the length of his suspension is finalized.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off with their bitter division rival, the New Orleans Saints, two separate times in 2023, as they do every year. 

The first matchup between the two teams will take place on Week 4 during the 1:00 pm time slot, on Sunday, October 1st, at Caeser's Superdome in New Orleans. And based on a recent report from NFL insider, Ian Rapoport, it appears as though the Saints could be without their most dynamic offensive weapon in that game.

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From Inside Training Camp: #Saints RB Alvin Kamara is expected to be suspended for his incident in Las Vegas, but how long could be determined from his meeting with Roger Goodell. pic.twitter.com/c6npkDmHVB

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2023

That's far from guaranteed, however.

The suspension stems from a violent incident that took place in 2022 during the Pro Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, where Kamara and three other men brutally attacked a man by the name of Darnell Green Jr. in a hotel lobby. 

Although Kamara was initially facing misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit battery and a felony charge of battery with substantial bodily harm, Kamara is no longer facing felony charges after agreeing to accept a plea deal. As such, Kamara plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of breach of the peace for his involvement and was ordered to perform 30 hours of community service in addition to paying the alleged victim $105,000 for medical bills.

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The specific number of games that Kamara will be suspended for in 2023 is yet to be determined. The Saints' star running back is scheduled to meet with commissioner, Roger Goodell, on Wednesday. It's assumed that this meeting will play a big role in the commissioner making his final determination regarding how many games Kamara will miss. 

"I would expect a suspension for Alvin Kamara." said Rapoport. "But what's going to determine whether it's 2 games, 4 games, 6 games? Potentially, what was behind it? Why did Alvin Kamara do what he appears to have done? The altercation that he was in, in that video. Is there something he can talk to with Goodell to make him at least have some understanding, and realize what led to that altercation?" 

Although this incident is not new news, it appears as though Kamara is close to being dished out his consequence by the league. And although the number of games he will miss is yet to be determined, it seems as though a suspension is inevitable. 

The Saints were well aware that a suspension was likely coming, and made a splash in free agency when they signed free agent running back, Jamaal Williams, who is coming off a career year in Detroit that saw him score 17 touchdowns. 

But even though the Saints have added some quality depth to their running back room, there's no doubt that their opponents' chances will improve dramatically in any games the team is forced to play without Kamara. 

Should Alvin Kamara's suspension end up lasting at least 4 games, then you can count the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as one of those teams. 

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