Brandon Meriweather officially appeals suspension

Darren McFadden (20) is tackled by Washington Redskins strong safety Brandon Meriweather (31) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins SS Brandon Meriweather was suspended two games by the league, as the NFL was finally sick of Meriweather’s constant penalties. He added two more personal fouls to his total in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, and Meriweather has a well-earned reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the game. Just about the only thing he does well is hit hard, because he is one of the worst coverage safeties in the game. His undisciplined style also leaves him susceptible to missed tackles, but he is a key starter for the Redskins due to the ineffectiveness of the secondary and key injuries (Reed Doughty went down on Sunday).

FOX Sports’s Alex Marvez reports that Brandon Meriweather has unsurprisingly decided to appeal his two-game suspension, which was an extremely harsh measure enacted by the league. Dashon Goldson successfully appealed suspensions earlier this year, but even he doesn’t have the track record that Meriweather has built. After all, most of us remember Meriweather’s nasty helmet-to-helmet hit on Green Bay Packers rookie RB Eddie Lacy in Week 2, which left Lacy concussed. Meriweather even started celebrating following the hit.

I honestly expect Meriweather to win this appeal, but it’s going to be an extremely close call. He stated earlier this year that he has changed his style and realizes he needs to change his style, but I don’t think that’s the case. Meriweather stated that he didn’t think he did anything wrong on Sunday, and it is very difficult for him to adapt to the rules and become a more disciplined player. We’ll see if he pays the repercussions of his big hits in a big way by missing two games.

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