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Brandon Spikes and four other NFL free agents receive multiple-week suspensions

The NFL now has more than 40 players on its suspended list as the official start of the season kicks off on Thursday after five more free-agent players just received notice of suspension by the NFL.

According to a league source, via Field Yates of ESPN.com, linebacker Brandon Spikes, who last spent part of the 2015 offseason with the New England Patriots, was suspended for the first four weeks of the season. Spikes pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run accident which injured three people.

He was sentenced to one year of probation as a result. An original 2010 second-round pick by Patriots, Spikes returned to the team after spending 2014 playing for the Buffalo Bills where he totaled 32 tackles in 10 game starts.

Additionally, Arizona Cardinals Running back Jonathan Dwyer, who landed on the NFI list after a domestic-violence incident arrest last season, received a three-week suspension. Dwyer pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and received 18 months of probation back in January.

Prior to his arrival to Arizona, Dwyer played four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wide receiver Mike Williams, who last played for the Buffalo Bills, was suspended for the first six weeks of the 2015 season for a non-disclosed issue. Williams managed only eight catches during the nine games he played in Buffalo.

Williams is best known for his breakout 2012 season playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he totaled 996 yards and nine touchdowns.

Outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, who last spent time with the New York Jets, received a six-week suspension. Cunningham had quite the list of items he plead guilty to which included three charges that involved a domestic violence, invasion of privacy.

Lastly, former Detroit Lions guard Rodney Austin, who spent 2012-2014 with the team, also received a six-week suspension. Austin pleaded guilty to four counts which involved assault on a child under 12 and assault of a woman.

While these suspensions deem rightfully just considering the nature of the offenses that each pleaded guilty, they do make us wonder about the extreme lengths of time other NFL players are serving for much less of an offense.

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