The Denver Broncos are already dealing with the sudden loss of most of their key players, so they must have been really disappointed when they received news that one of their star edge rushers, Derek Wolfe, may have been involved in a brawl at a nightclub.
There is a clear video showing a man, believed to be Wolfe, throwing a punch that could land him a four-game suspension with the NFL. One thing the league has been pretty consistent with is levying punishments - whether or not they're what fans would consider fair is a different story.
Sure, earlier in the offseason Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy was involved in a nightclub brawl that resulted in two off duty police officers being hospitalized. The league has not made a ruling on McCoy's involvement - though he will not face criminal charges - which means they could still be deciding whether or not they will punish him.
A lot of what happens with the McCoy case will be used to determine what happens in this one. Wolfe is clearly one of the men throwing a punch and the NFL cannot be happy with a player who won the Super Bowl just a couple of months ago being involved in such an incident.
Wolfe is noticeably bigger than most of the nightclub attendees, which unfortunately makes him pretty easy to pick out. Witnesses have said that Wolfe was struck by a bottle in the melee, which left him bloodied and in need of medical attention.
Wolfe is only 26 years old and the Broncos felt he was the superior defensive lineman prior to the offseason, as they signed him to a four-year, 36.7 million contract extension in January.
This will be Wolfe's fifth season in the NFL. He has proven to be a key piece of the Denver pass rush. Wolfe has been suspended once before - in July of 2015 he tested positive for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) and was hit with a four-game ban.
Since he was hit with a previous suspension, the NFL could give him a harsher penalty if they see fit. If you consider Josh Gordon is currently waiting to be reinstated after a year-long ban because he had an alcoholic drink at the end of the 2014 season - after a number of other transgressions - then anything is possible.
The Broncos will have to hope that the NFL league offices overlook this incident.
