Chris Ivory, anyone? The league is looking into allegations that LeSean McCoy was involved in a domestic violence incident. That potentially could lead to a suspension under the league’s off-field conduct policy.
Per TMZ, Delicia Cordon is a former girlfriend of McCoy’s and the two have had a contentious relationship. TMZ says McCoy recently sued Cordon to try and get her to leave a house that he owns.
A friend of Cordon posted photos of Instagram of Cordon with a bloodied and bruised face. (The photo is on TMZ, and it’s graphic.) The friend indicates that McCoy is responsible. “THE DEVIL!!! YOU ARE AN ANIMAL!!” Said friend also charges McCoy has hit his son and his dog.
McCoy responded on social media, indicating that he’s had no recent contact with Cordon. "For the record, the totally baseless and offensive claims made against me today on social media are completely false," he wrote. “I have not had any direct contact with any of the people involved in months."
That’s a strong denial, and it should become apparent in the coming days if it’s true or not. In the not-too-distant past, recall, Jameis Winston issued a strong denial of charges made by an Uber driver, then later backtracked, accepting responsibility and a three-game suspension.
“We have spoken to LeSean and have been in contact with the National Football League,” the Bills said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information.”
Pro Football Weekly indicates the league is looking into the matter. The NFL announced a policy after the Ray Rice fiasco that such incidents would result in six-game suspensions, but more recently it’s been flexible with punishment. (Winston, for example, got three games instead of six.)
There should be more clarity on this situation in the coming days. For now, note that the alleged victim hasn’t said anything. If Cordon isn’t interested in pressing charges or talking to the NFL, it could be hard for the league to conclude that McCoy did anything. Or maybe she’ll say that somebody else was responsibility – it’s early, and let’s not rush to judgment.
But it looks more likely today than it did yesterday that the Bills will have to start Chris Ivory in some games this year. He’s the free agent back they signed in the offseason.
Ivory ran for 1,070 yards, with 8 TDs, for the Jets back in 2015, leading to him signing a big contract with the Jaguars. But he wasn’t as successful in two years there, averaging only 3.8 and 3.4 yards per carry. He’s 30, and after eight years of violent, high-contact running, it doesn’t seem like he’s as explosive and powerful as he was early in his career. Jacksonville released him in a cap move in the offseason, opting to go with Corey Grant and T.J. Yeldon as their backups behind Leonard Fournette.
But Ivory is a clearly defined No. 2, and as a running back with a decent chance of starting six-plus games, he’ll probably be one of the first 40 running backs selected in most drafts. But the situation is less than ideal. Buffalo appears to have a bottom-5 offensive line, and there isn’t much else on this unit. The Bills will be starting an inexperienced quarterback (some combination of Josh Allen, AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman) and have arguably the worst receiving corps in the league.
Given the quality of the team and the dip in the offensive line (which lost Cordy Glenn, Eric Wood and Richie Incognito), I’m thinking the Bills have a pretty good chance of ranking last in scoring this year. And while this team has ranked 1st, 1st and 6th in rushing the last three years, I don’t think they’ll have much success punching in 1- and 2-yard touchdowns. I don’t think they’ll get down there much, and I don’t think that will be a strength. Tyrod Taylor is gone, and his mobility helped to open up the running game.
Note, by the way, that in McCoy and Ivory, the Bills have two of the running backs that have been least effective in recent years at being successful in gaining a key yard when needed (either at the goal line or on third-and-one or fourth-and-one plays). In the last three years, 33 running backs have carried the ball at least 20 times on such plays, and McCoy and Ivory are the only two who haven’t been successful on over half of their attempts.
| AND-ONE RUSHING, 2015-17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | "Good" | Att | Pct |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 33 | 39 | 84.6% |
| Robert Turbin, Dall.-Ind. | 17 | 21 | 81.0% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 23 | 30 | 76.7% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 36 | 47 | 76.6% |
| DeMarco Murray, Phi.-Ten. | 32 | 42 | 76.2% |
| Latavius Murray, Oak.-Min. | 35 | 47 | 74.5% |
| Mike Gillislee, Buf.-N.E. | 23 | 32 | 71.9% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 25 | 35 | 71.4% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 21 | 30 | 70.0% |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 16 | 23 | 69.6% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 15 | 22 | 68.2% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 35 | 52 | 67.3% |
| DeAngelo Williams, Pitt. | 16 | 24 | 66.7% |
| Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 14 | 21 | 66.7% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 13 | 20 | 65.0% |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 22 | 34 | 64.7% |
| Lamar Miller, Mia.-Hou. | 19 | 30 | 63.3% |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 25 | 40 | 62.5% |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 15 | 24 | 62.5% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Sea.-Oak. | 19 | 31 | 61.3% |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 35 | 58 | 60.3% |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E.-Phi. | 31 | 52 | 59.6% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 16 | 27 | 59.3% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 19 | 33 | 57.6% |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 31 | 54 | 57.4% |
| Eddie Lacy, G.B.-Sea. | 12 | 21 | 57.1% |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 12 | 21 | 57.1% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 17 | 30 | 56.7% |
| Matt Forte, Chi.-NYJ | 15 | 27 | 55.6% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 12 | 23 | 52.2% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 14 | 27 | 51.9% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 13 | 26 | 50.0% |
| Chris Ivory, NYJ-Jac. | 17 | 36 | 47.2% |
—Ian Allan