The Cowboys left Big D for Oxnard, Calif. on Thursday in anticipation for the start of training camp, but one notable player wasn't with them.
Suspended linebacker Rolando McClain was not on the team's charter to the Golden State, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday. The Cowboys do not yet have an explanation for his absence.
McClain was suspended 10 games in June for violating the NFL's policy against substances of abuse. He was also suspended four games for violating the same policy to start the 2015 season.
McClain isn't the only troubled player on Dallas' defense. Second-year defensive lineman Randy Gregory is facing an additional suspension on top of his standing four-game ban and has been enrolled in a treatment program. Fellow defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is suspended for the first four games of the season.
Dallas has become a safe haven as of late for players with checkered pasts; Jerry Jones has never been shy about giving people second chances at success. But McClain has tested the organization's conviction. McClain's history involves struggles with motivation, a 180-day jail sentence in 2012 for assault charges, his brief retirement from football in 2013 and, most recently, his skipping of offseason voluntary work. It's safe to say the former Alabama standout is running out of chances.
