On Sunday, the New England Patriots faced off against the Denver Broncos without their newly claimed player Michael Floyd, who was recently waived by the Arizona Cardinals due to his DUI arrest last week. His absence on the recent game may have been the result of the NFL's disciplinary action against him.
Even without the wide receiver to provide depth to the Patriots bench, the New England squad was still able to maintain its strength and secure a 16-3 win against the Broncos.
Floyd was brought in by the Broncos almost immediately after he was waived by the Cardinals. His presence in New England was to fill the void left by Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski, who have been sidelined due to their injuries.
The athlete was released by the Cardinals on Dec. 14 after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Before he was waived, Arizona president Michael Bidwell said that the team gave him a chance to stay with the team. However, due to his conduct following the arrest, the Cardinals ultimately decided to part ways with him.
As noted by Bidwell, Floyd did not appear apologetic following his arrest. He also did not inform the team what had happened to him.
"Their story changed, there was no remorse, we ask him to be proactive in terms of his approach to this - [he was] unapologetic," Bidwell said according to Arizona Sports. "I was not satisfied with how he handled it."
"He certainly could've played it a lot differently," he added. "We wanted to give him an opportunity to address his issues. How this whole set of circumstances unfolded, was just disappointed about how it played out."
Bidwell then went on to say that Floyd consistently refused to work with the team in addressing the issue. Due to his behavior, the team decided to release him.
The NFL, on the other hand, has not yet released an official statement regarding Floyd's case. But, as pointed out by ESPN, the league may impose penalties such as suspensions on Floyd if he is found guilty. According to the site, this could boil down to a blood test conducted on Floyd, since he refused to take a breathalyzer during the time he was arrested.
