NFL ODDS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Secondary Takes Blow with Jackson Suspension

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Kahnawake, QC, September 27, 2010 — The surprising 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first bad news of the season as starting free safety Tanard Jackson has been suspended for a minimum of one year by the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy again.

The penalty is harsh because Jackson sat out the first four games of the 2009 season while serving a previous suspension for violating the league’s drug policy (and still had five interceptions and 85 tackles last season). Jackson won’t be eligible for reinstatement until Sept. 22, 2011, at the earliest.

Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik said Jackson’s test result is “frustrating and disappointing … for the entire organization. Tanard is a talented young man whom we hope is able to use this year to put his troubles behind him and ultimately return a stronger man and player.”

Jackson, a fourth-year pro, led Tampa Bay defensive backs with 13 tackles through the first two games. He was the only defensive player in Bucs history to start every game in his first two seasons and has started every game in his career in which he wasn’t suspended. The Bucs did not immediately name a replacement for Jackson, but it’s expected that former starting strong safety Sabby Piscitelli could move into the spot.

This will cost Jackson dearly – not even the $480,000 salary he will lose. It will also cost him a year of service time and the right to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, so the Bucs will retain his rights through the 2011 season although they could be fed up at this point and release him.

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