Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark has been suspended two games by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy, the league announced Tuesday.
The punishment is in relation to two arrests Clark had last season for gun charges in Los Angeles. Clark resolved the matter legally in September when he pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon; he was sentenced to one year of “informal probation” and also had to complete 40 hours of volunteer community service.
Clark’s suspension will be without pay. Following the Chiefs’ bye week, he will miss the team’s home games against Tennessee on Nov. 6 and Jacksonville on Nov. 13 before being eligible to return ahead of a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In September, Clark described the process of resolving his legal case with the gun charges as a “huge relief.”
“Like I said before, you make a mistake, it’s about how you stand up and be a stand-up guy about it — not about the if, ands or buts about it. It’s about you being a stand-up guy and making it right, and that’s what I did,” Clark said on Sept. 9. “Let the system play out how it’s gonna play out, like I always said, and it played out in my favor, thank God. Just thankful to be moving forward now.”
When asked then, Clark said he was unsure whether he would face further discipline from the league based on the personal conduct policy.
“That’s gonna play itself out. I can’t think about that. I can’t control none of that,” Clark said on Sept. 9. “I did my part on what I can control, and I made it happen on that end. Whatever happens going forward, that’s just got to happen.”
Clark had one of his best performances of the season on Sunday against the 49ers, posting 1.5 sacks while also getting around future hall-of-fame tackle Trent Williams to bring down quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-half safety.
This is the second defender the Chiefs have lost for multiple games this season as part of an NFL suspension as part of the personal-conduct policy; linebacker Willie Gay sat out four games before returning Sunday against the 49ers following a January incident when his ex-partner alleged that he pushed her on a couch.
