Purify to be Suspended for One Game

by Jason Garrison on Aug 30, 2010 5:13 PM EDT

The Bengals coaches may be thanking wide receiver Maurice Purify at the end of the preseason for making their jobs a little easier. Purify will be suspended for one game due to his arrest for disorderly conduct in May. We've all seen Roger Goodell hand out heavier punishments for similar arrests in the past. A one game suspension doesn't really sound like much. Oh, but it is.

Purify violated the NFL's personal conduct policy in May after he was arrested for disorderly conduct in Northern Kentucky. He's one of Cincinnati's top special-teams players, but is already on the roster bubble due to the Bengals' depth at receiver.

The one-game suspension to start the season won't help Purify's case in Cincinnati. NFL teams have to finalize their 53-man rosters by Saturday.

The Bengals have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season. It's the kind of schedule in which one game can make the difference between going to the playoffs and watching them from home. As deep as the Bengals are at the wide receiver position and as much as other players have stepped up in the special teams game, it is likely that this one game suspension will cost Purify a spot on the team. He would do no good for the Bengals in their first game, a very tough road game against the New England Patriots, suspended on the sidelines. Without him on the team, a receiver that can help the Bengals win could be on the sidelines.

Unfortunately for Purify, it is likely that he gave up his roster spot in a Northern Kentucky bar in May.

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Comments

Counter arguement

This makes the coaches jobs easier because he doens’t have to be cut but he still take up a roster spot and won’t go to another team. This virtually guaruntees his availability if another WR gets injured.

by jim0ijk on Aug 30, 2010 6:13 PM EDT reply actions

Doesn't Purify have to be considered

on the Roster at the end of preseason when they get down to 53. That one game suspension doesn’t happen until the beginning of week one. So that means he’s taking up a roster spot until week one and taking someones spot that could contribute. You have to cut him then and give that other WR a chance.
I see your point though (I think), keeping him and in week one bring somebody like Briscoe up from the PS, especially if someone gets hurt. But why keep him when you can keep Briscoe on the roster, or keep someone else like Cosby or Simpson. on the roster. He’ll be wasting a roster spot.

by WHYUS!! on Aug 30, 2010 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

only thing this guarantees

that purify will have to serve a 1 game suspension for an nfl team before he can play again. so if cut by cincinnati, its another reason for another team not to sign purify.

a counter argument would be: purify would be the bengals 6th wr, so it doesn’t hurt cincy if he’s suspended for the 1st game.

i do believe the arrest and 1 game suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time for him. jones and simpson failing to make much of a statement in pre-season is the only reason purify is still on the roster.

"wherever Brad St. Louis is and Shayne Graham is about to be." -R.F. Mehl

by palewook on Aug 30, 2010 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions

This was exactly my thought!

This actually helps out the Bengals because they now get to stash Purify for an extra week in case someone gets injured or otherwise cut. Instead of cutting him they can just move him to the Suspended List and then either cut him or activate him after week one. Kinda brilliant actually.

by whodeyla on Aug 30, 2010 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Why would we want this guy in our team?

He’s never going to be a starter as a WR and of it’s special teams we’re talking about then he’s really not that special.

This should only makes things clearer which is what the coaching staff really needs.

by jimbasa on Aug 30, 2010 7:56 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

the guy is a star...sorta

He quietly makes a big difference on special teams. The things he does well make Cosby, Jones, and Shipley more sucessful. Hell, they make Huber look better also. Your are right, he won’t be a great WR, but he does alot of the little things that we need to win.
Honestly, I don’t see the last receiver dressing many games anyhow.

by steve whodey on Aug 30, 2010 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions

And he's a star because..

You say so? I mean aside from two good tackles his had in two years I haven’t seen anything remotely resembling a star.

by jimbasa on Aug 30, 2010 8:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

He is a good Teams player. Not as good as Cosby, but definitely in the next teir

by jim0ijk on Aug 30, 2010 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess that tongue in cheek was not clear enough. no, not a star. but a solid ST contributer. Just because he is not handling the ball or making the tackle doesn’t mean he isn’t doing a good job. He is not as important as Cosby but he is widely know as an special teams player.
I predict that if Jones is healthy, Purify dresses more than Quan. They do different things. Depending on where they are limping any given week, they might not be able to dress two guys that give you such similiar things. Especially since Shipley could step in for either in a game time injury situation.

by steve whodey on Aug 30, 2010 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions