National Football League

Rodgers: NFL 'deserves some blame'

Published Oct. 5, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers came to the defense of his former teammate Johnny Jolly Wednesday, saying "the league deserves some of the blame" for Jolly's latest drug-related arrest.

Rodgers defended the oft-troubled defensive end, who was hit with his fourth drug possession charge last weekend, during an interview on ESPN radio in Milwaukee.

"It's just disappointing. And I'll be honest, I think the league deserves some of the blame in this case," Rodgers said. "When you look at some of the other guys that have been reinstated in the league after jail sentences, and justly, rightly so. Johnny didn't serve any days in prison, sat out for a year and still couldn't get his case heard, from what I was told."

"I just think that's wrong. … I think the commissioner's done a great job of cleaning up some of the stuff in the league. That said, if you take a guy away from his support system … I don't think that's helping."

Jolly was arrested and charged last Saturday with possession of a narcotic compound containing codeine and other substances and tampering with evidence, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The 28-year-old did not play last season and remains indefinitely suspended by the NFL over a similar charge in 2008.

In April, Jolly was sentenced to five years' probation over two arrests for codeine possession. At the time he was warned that he faced anywhere from two to 20 years behind bars if he violated the deal.

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