The Buffalo Bills said on Tuesday that they were not happy that defensive tackle Marcell Dareus “chose to put himself first” in response to him getting suspended.
On Wednesday, Dareus responded, claiming that he made a mistake, but did not agree with the idea that he put himself first.
“I put myself last. … But everyone makes dumb decisions. Nobody is perfect,” he said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.
He added that from this point on, his actions will be more important.
Marcell Dareus: "I really don't have nothing much to say. Words don't have meaning now, it's all action."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 17, 2016
Dareus also said that his suspension was for missing a drug test.
Dareus is certainly right. From this point on, his actions will trump any of his words. It’s nice that he acknowledged his “dumb decision” and didn’t try to make a flimsy excuse, which is all too common.
The only problem is that in this situation, he did indeed put himself first. That may not have been his intent but if he didn’t show up for his test, he wasn’t thinking enough about the full ramifications.
With that said, Dareus is right to admit he made a mistake, which any honest human can relate to. Unfortunately, he also missed a game last year for violating the league’s drug policy as well.
Clearly he has some work in front of him to prove he actually does “put himself last.” But if his actions are solid from this point on, his transgression will be easier to forget in the long run.