Receiver Demarcus Robinson will not be suspended by the Los Angeles Rams this week after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Robinson will be able to play when the Rams (5-6) face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.
“I think he does understand the severity of this, and how lucky we were that nobody was injured,” McVay said. “I do believe that he’s remorseful. We are going to let the legal process take place. The league has a process as well.”
Robinson was arrested early Monday morning after California Highway Patrol officers saw a white Dodge sedan speeding over 100 mph on the 101 freeway in the western San Fernando Valley, not far from the Rams’ training facility in Woodland Hills.
The driver, who identified himself as Robinson, showed “objective signs and symptoms of alcohol impairment,” the CHP said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Speaking after practice Wednesday, Robinson said he met with McVay and the Rams front office on Monday afternoon after he was released.
“It was tough to have that conversation, but it needed to be done,” Robinson said. “It’s a bad look. I don’t want to bring that type of light, or any type of negative energy, toward the team. Things like that are not natural for me, in my nature, stuff I usually do. I just told him that I sincerely apologize to him and the team and this whole organization for even putting the organization in a predicament like that.”
Robinson also spoke to the team and apologized for his arrest, according to McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“I think it was a bad decision he made,” McVay said. “I don’t think that makes him a bad person, and I do believe this is something that, with the words that he said, our guys will learn from it, and hopefully nobody is ever going to repeat something like this. Let it be a learning opportunity, and a fortunate outcome that nobody was injured.”
Robinson said he isn’t sure when his case will progress through the court system.
Robinson has 26 receptions for 384 yards and a team-leading six touchdown catches, starting all 11 games in his second season with the Rams. He caught a touchdown pass in the Rams’ 37-20 loss to Philadelphia, just hours before his arrest.
The nine-year NFL veteran has been a reliable No. 3 option for Stafford, behind star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Robinson spent his first six NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl in February 2020, and played one year with Baltimore before joining the Rams last season.
“Let this be a lesson to all of us,” Stafford said. “We’re lucky with the result that came of it, to be honest with you, that nobody was hurt or injured. I know that D-Rob is a great person. I love being around him. Love him as a teammate. … I’m just trying to support him, help him out any way I can.”
