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.