Redskins' Davis, Williams suspended for failed drug tests

As part of a settlement agreement between the NFL Players Association and the NFL, Redskins tight end Fred Davis and offensive tackle Trent Williams have

Redskins' Davis, Williams suspended for failed drug tests

As part of a settlement agreement between the NFL Players Association and the NFL, Redskins tight end Fred Davis and offensive tackle Trent Williams have received four-game suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy, multiple league sources said.

The suspensions didn't start with Sunday's game against the visiting Jets because the players had yet to receive written notification from the league, a source said.

Davis and Williams were informed earlier in the week that they would be suspended for the year because their positive test for marijuana occurred during the season and was at least their third offense under the policy. However, the discipline was reduced as part of a negotiated settlement involving the 11 players who failed drug tests in the two- to four-week grace period that followed the end of the lockout.

Per the settlement, there would be no discipline for those who tested positive during the grace period. Davis and Williams were in the group, but their suspensions stem from positive tests during the season, not the grace period.

In other player news, the National Labor Relations Board has dismissed Bengals running back Cedric Benson's unfair labor practice charge against the NFLPA and its executive director, DeMaurice Smith.

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Published Dec 4, 2011 | Modified Dec 4, 2011

Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated Followers of the NFL have long relied on Jim Trotter for his dogged reporting and astute insights. Trotter joined Sports Illustrated as a senior writer in September 2007. Before that he spent nearly 18 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he climbed the ladder from preps reporter to lead NFL writer. He spent nine years covering the San Diego Chargers, who did not have a winning record or reach the playoffs in his first eight years on the beat. The team finally ended the drought in 2004, after which Trotter began covering the league at large. Trotter cites three stories as the most memorable of his SI career: a 2007 piece on the death of Sean Taylor because, "It allowed us to examine his life beyond the stereotypes that had been attached to him"; a 2011 feature on Tim Tebow and the Broncos, whose run to the playoffs was nearly as indescribable as it was improbable; and a 2012 piece on the remaking of the Raiders following the death of longtime patriarch Al Davis. Born in San Francisco, Trotter graduated from Howard University in 1986 with a degree in communications and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. In addition to his SI duties, Trotter has made appearances on numerous national media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, ESPN, NFL Network, and The Jim Rome Show. He also has been a guest on radio shows across the country. Trotter resides in San Diego.

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