Suspended Cowboys LB Rolando McClain Misses Flight To Training Camp

The clock is ticking for Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain and if he hasn’t made it to training camp by Friday’s deadline, the time he has left to play in the NFL may just run out.

McClain was absent on the Cowboys chartered flight to Oxnard, California this morning. If he does not arrive, ready to go, at the team’s training facility by 2 p.m., McClain will face a fine and perhaps worse.

Suspended Cowboys LB Misses Flight To Training Camp

Dallas head coach Jason Garrett refused to answer questions related to McClain’s absence on the flight, intimating the issue would be addressed “later.”

“We’ll talk about that stuff later,” Garrett said following a brief autograph signing session for military personnel at Naval Air Station Point Mugu after the Cowboys landed.

The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft is already suspended for the first 10 games of the 2016 season for his second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

McClain’s missed flight — it remains unclear if it was intentional or not — comes on the same day Dallas brass will address the “State of the Cowboys.” Owner Jerry Jones, along with son and executive vice president Stephen Jones and Garrett, will hold a press conference Friday afternoon for updates on the franchise.

The sixth-year defender has not been active this offseason, missing most of the voluntary workouts and he sat out OTAs. McClain reported to mandatory minicamp last month but was kept on the sideline due to poor conditioning.

His career has been feast or famine.

ROLANDO McCLAIN HIGHLIGHTS 2015-2016

When McClain plays, he can be one of the most dominant linebackers in the league, but offseason arrests and suspensions for substance abuse have marred a once promising career.

After being traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, McClain announced his retirement at age 23, before ever playing a down in Baltimore.

McClain’s rights were acquired by Dallas in a trade with the Ravens in 2014 after linebacker Sean Lee sustained an injury.

He was suspended the first four games of 2015 for substance abuse, though he was productive when on the field. In 11 games last year, McClain tallied 97 tackles, with nine for a loss, two sacks and an INT.

On Wednesday, Stephen Jones told reporters that McClain’s future with the team remains undecided.

“That’s another one that’s a work in progress,” Jones said. “We’ll leave it at that.”

Article by Kevin Xavier