Rashard Robinson’s past troubles are not behind him just yet.
The former Jets cornerback was suspended 10 games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy on Wednesday. Robinson was also suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
Shortly after news of the suspension broke, Robinson issued a statement taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing to the NFL for his behavior.
Currently a free agent, Robinson joined the Jets in October 2017 after Mike Maccagnan struck a deal with the San Francisco 49ers to bring him to New York.
Robinson, who had started with the 49ers, was acquired at a time when the Jets were banged up at cornerback. Instead of making an instant impact, Robinson struggled to learn Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme and barely saw the field in his first season with the team.
Things didn’t get any better for Robinson in 2018. After his four-game suspension ended, Robinson was activated and remained with New York for the duration of the season but didn’t see much action. He ended the season with only eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
Robinson’s disciplinary issues date back to his days at LSU. In 2014, he was suspended for failing a drug test and not living up to the program’s expectations academically. In June 2015, Robinson was arrested for unauthorized entry into a teammate’s apartment and was not allowed to re-enroll at LSU as a result.
The hope is that Robinson can rehabilitate himself and contribute somewhere in the NFL. Either way, Robinson will go down as one of the worst moves Maccagnan made in his time as Jets general manager.
