IRVING, Texas – DeMarcus Lawrence will appeal the four-game suspension he is reportedly facing, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed Thursday morning.
It's a case that has been a bit murky from the get-go, as the NFL has yet to officially announce anything about potential discipline for the third-year defensive end. Having said that, numerous reported have stated that Lawrence is facing a four-game ban after violating the league's substance abuse policy, and Jones has confirmed that fact himself.
Speaking in a radio interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones said Lawrence will appeal, and he's hopeful that – much like Orlando Scandrick two years ago – the suspension will be reduced.
"It's under appeal and very similar to what you just alluded to -- that's the situation there that it was reduced from four to two, but we wouldn't want to be presumptuous enough," he said.
Scandrick was suspended in 2014 when he tested positive for amphetamines – the same substance that reportedly resulted in Lawrence's penalty. He was set to miss the first four games of the season, but that was reduced to two and he was able to return in time for the Cowboys' Week 3 win against the Rams.
Jones said he's hopeful Lawrence can catch a similar break, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions about how the process will play out.
"It's under consideration, and just like anything that's being judged, you don't want to get out here and be trying to tell them what to do," he said. "Let them look at all the facts and all the entire situation which is what is required and will be done and maybe we can get a reduction."
Anything that can get Lawrence back to the field would be huge for an ailing Cowboys' pass rush, as Randy Gregory was also served with a four-game suspension this offseason for violating the substance abuse policy.
Those two losses put the Cowboys in dire straits to start the season. They signed Benson Mayowa to a free agent contract last month, and they drafted Charles Tapper in the fourth round of last weekend's NFL draft.
Despite that, without Lawrence in the lineup, the Cowboys' current defensive ends have a combined 8.5 career sacks to their names.
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