NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons first teased some big news on social media, then shared Saturday that his Tennessee teammate Arden Key won his appeal of a six-game suspension to start the season.
His coach can't say anything until the Tennessee Titans hear something officially from the NFL.
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And Key declined to talk after a 16-15 win over Seattle about the success of his appeal. He pointed reporters toward teammates who played, and none of the defensive starters played Saturday night.
“It was in the league’s hands for the appeal process, and there’s nothing I can do or say or we can do as an organization," Titans coach Brian Callahan said after the game. "It’s in their hands officially. So, you just wait and yeah, you’re hopeful of course. But you wait, and you see what happens.”
Simmons shared the update hours before the Titans' exhibition game Saturday night.
“See you guys Sept. 8,” Simmons wrote of one of the Titans' starting outside linebackers. That's when Tennessee opens the season at Chicago.
A report July 30 said Key was facing the suspension to start the season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers. The NFL never announced a suspension, and a league spokesman declined to comment Saturday.
Key had six sacks last season, his first with Tennessee, and he has been expected to start opposite Harold Landry on the edge this season. The NFL announced July 29 that Houston defensive lineman Denico Autry was suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.
Autry played with Tennessee the past three seasons.
Key has declined to talk when asked about the reported suspension during training camp. He wouldn't have been available to the Titans until a game Oct. 27 at Detroit.
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