This situation with Alvin Kamara isn’t looking any better by the day. After being arrested in Las Vegas — picked up by police at Allegiant Stadium following the Pro Bowl — and released from custody upon posting bail, the next step is considering whether the New Orleans Saints running back will face any league discipline in addition to, you know, legal penalties.
It’s important to note that Kamara has not yet been charged with a crime. He was booked in on suspicion of battery causing substantial physical harm; police say the victim was diagnosed with a fractured orbital bone which may require surgery. The courts will circle back to this investigation in March and choose how to proceed. If formally charged and convicted of this, a felony in Nevada, it would carry a mandatory $10,000 fine and sentencing of between one and five years in prison.
But the NFL can choose to suspend Kamara for at least six games regardless of what the courts decide. The league office will conduct its own independent investigation to determine whether Kamara’s conduct violated the league personal conduct policy, which says of violent offenses including assault and battery, “a first offense will subject the offender to a baseline suspension without pay of six games, with consideration given to any aggravating or mitigating factors.”
So that’s obviously not great. The Saints fielded the worst offense in the NFL last year when Kamara missed time with an injury — he’s quite literally their best player regardless of position. If they don’t make some big investments at the skills positions in the months ahead, they risk starting the Dennis Allen with more of the same stale offense that defined Sean Payton’s last year in New Orleans.
On the other hand, there’s some precedent for a different suspension here than that six-game baseline. As observed by Amy Dash at League of Justice, Antonio Brown was suspended eight games not too long ago stemming from battery charges on a truck driver. On the other end of the spectrum, Tyreek Hill was not suspended after an investigation into alleged battery on his son resulted in no criminal charges. It’s possible Kamara ultimately dodges a suspension, depending on how this investigation turns out. It’s just too early to say anything definitively.
However, we know the stakes involved. We know what’s at risk. Seeing Kamara miss the first month or two of the 2022 season due to something so easily avoidable would be tough to swallow. For now, all we can do is wait and watch to see what happens next.
