Irving drops bombs on motherfuckers
Irving drops bombs on motherfuckers
David Irving to officially return from four-game NFL suspension
David Irving is back.
It's quite the feat to carry the headlines for months in an offseason that saw All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant released only one year after Tony Romo was shown the door, and not long after seeing the 2018 NFL Draft hype uprooted on Day Two by news future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten would be calling it a career. Through all of that and even the reinstatement of once-banned defensive end Randy Gregory, there was Irving -- or rather news of him, always ready to bolt onto the field like a streaker at a FIFA game.
Irving is officially set to return from a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but was eligible to participate in both training camp and preseason before his ban was set to commence. Neither happened as he continued with rehab, the team continuing on into and through August without communicating with him. That changed on Sept. 12, following the Cowboys' season opener against the Carolina Panthers, when the veteran pass rusher returned to the facility for conditioning and meetings -- as permitted by the terms of his suspension. He was still unable to attend practice, but his appearance was a positive sign, all things considered.
This is especially true of his willingness to be proactive about his conditioning, that being one of the team's concerns over the summer. Head coach Jason Garrett noted Irving "looks good" not long after his reappearance, and this week will see his suspension lifted completely as he returns to practice this Wednesday in preparation for the Houston Texans.
The goal now is to make sure he's in game shape, considering the last time he practiced was in mid-June.
Following weeks of silence during his rehabilitation, Irving spoke out in a major way via social media, blasting the league's policy on marijuana. Initially taking to his Instagram account to recite the Serenity Prayer, things went far left after some fans began to attack him in the subsequent comments on the post. When one in particular turned the prayer against Irving, noting how "God should've granted" him the "wisdom to stop getting suspended over PEDs and substance abuse", Irving's fuse was lit.
"I got suspended for weed, dickhead," he replied to L.T.Fan.
It didn't end there, though. Yet another would piggyback on the first attack and comment how it being weed "makes it better", but was being scathingly facetious in the process. Irving picked up on the obvious tone of what he viewed as a follow-up swing and not only took the bridle off to defend his own character, but to also rail against the league's policy on marijuana -- one Jones himself has set out to try and change going forward.
In short, Irving pulled out the nukes.
"Check this," he began, before turning both keys. "Y'all wanna judge and say what's right or wrong. These guys prescribe me Xanax bars, Ambien and painkillers. Some of us, like myself, have been smoking weed since [I was 12 years old and I've] never been in trouble with the law. Always had a 3.0 [GPA] or higher, too.
"It's natural. I'd much rather smoke weed than take all that lab-made shit. You fucks talk so much shit as if I'm on heroin. You probably got a blunt in your mouth right now, so stfu.
"The NFL laws on weed are bullshit and we all know it. I'm from Cali. I've had my medical card. It's nothing wrong with it.
"Also, every game you've seen me play in, I was medicated. I don't see you or any of my coaches or previous coaches complaining about my play."
While many will outright agree with Irving, including a list of state legislatures who have already de-criminalized marijuana, the fact remains that as antiquated as the NFL's policy may be -- it's still the rule, until further notice. And unless that changes, players will continue to face possible addiction to painkillers (which is what Irving is alluding to) as a means of living through agony, but there are no league prohibitions of those. It's an argument that's officially reached fever pitch as of late and Irving's openness most certainly takes it to new heights, particularly on the heels of seeing Gregory nearly lose his NFL career over the same drug, due to self-medication to treat his bipolar depression.
Irving is working on avoiding that same road of consistently increasing banishment, hence his current rehabilitation following an emotionally trying offseason, but make no mistake about it -- he thinks the rule is pure idiocy. Millions around the world agree with him, but until it changes, it's still the rule. The goal for Irving now is to move beyond his emotionally-loaded offseason and channel his focus back into football, and he'll get his first chance at making everything right again this week.
He nearly broke out in 2017, despite a four-game suspension for a PED violation to start the year and a concussion later in the season, landing seven sacks in only eight games.