Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dontay Moch never saw the field in his rookie year. The 3rd round pick from 2011 sustained a foot injury in training camp last year, preventing him from seeing the field at all. According to Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, he may not see the field at the start of 2012 either. La Canfora reported via Twitter that Moch has been suspended for four games for using a banned substance. While that is a big issue, it’s not the most interesting part of the story.
Bengals LB Dontay Moch, a 2011 3rd round pick, has been suspended 4 games for using a banned substance, pending appeal.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 20, 2012
The key words in La Canfora’s tweet were “pending appeal.” It’s a term that we often hear around various sports leagues and even in our legal system, but in this instance, it indicates that someone said something they really shouldn’t have said. Only Moch or his agent are allowed to disclose this information before the internal appeals process is completely concluded. If it was someone else that talked, that person could be the recipient of a $500,000 fine.
In all reality, we’ll probably never know who La Canfora’s source was. La Canfora should be a professional, as I’m confident he will be, and keep his source’s identity confidential. Still, it’s very interesting that someone would be willing to risk so much money on being a good source for a reporter. On the other hand, there’s a real possibility that the source just didn’t realize there was such a steep penalty for talking about the suspension. Something tells me La Canfora’s source won’t be word vomiting quite so much next time.
