The Bears' Jeremiah Ratliff Suspended By NFL Over DWI
By Kate Shepherd in News on Aug 24, 2015 9:00PM
via Getty Images
Expect to see some disappointed fans when the Chicago Bears take the field for their first regular season game on Sept. 13. The team was dealt a huge blow Monday when the NFL suspended defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff for the first three games of the season.
Ratliff, a four-time Pro Bowler, was expected to be the anchor of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's strategy, according to NFL.com. He will miss games against three of the NFC conference's best teams: the Green Bay Packers, the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks.
Ratliff, 33, violated the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse in a 2013 Driving While Intoxicated incident in Tarrant County, Texas. He pled guilty to the DWI in April and was put on probation for one year, according to the Dallas Morning News. The NFL did not discipline him after the arrest in 2013.
Unlike Tom Brady, who was recently suspended for the first four games of the season, Ratliff won't appeal the suspension, according to ESPN.
The Bears hired Ratliff after the 2013 arrest and resigned him to a two-year contract in 2014. He was one of the few Bears players with a great 2014 season racking up 6.5 sacks and 21 tackles in 11 games.