REPORT: Tenny Palepoi suspended; Melvin Gordon week-to-week
By Travis Wakeman
It just doesn’t seem like there’s ever going to be any positive news surrounding the San Diego Chargers. At least not this year.
Not only did the Chargers lose a game to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday that extinguished any remaining hopes of the playoffs, but they also watched as the team’s lone bright spot, Melvin Gordon, was carted off the field early in the game.
It was reported during the game that Gordon suffered a hip injury and would not return. Now it’s being reported by NFL media’s Ian Rapoport that Gordon will be considered week-to-week.
#Chargers are gathering info on RB Melvin Gordon’s hip strain. Source said it’s week-to-week. But… he’s 3 yards from 1,000 & wants to play
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2016
As Rapoport mentions, Gordon is very close to that 1,000-yard rushing barrier, long considered the magic number for running backs in a season.
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Gordon has bounced back in a major way after a disappointing rookie season. He’s rushed for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season after not scoring a single touchdown as a rookie. He had just five yards on three carries before being injured Sunday.
Let’s all hope that Gordon can return to the field sooner rather than later.
Another player who left Sunday’s game early was rookie defensive end Joey Bosa. Luckily, Bosa didn’t suffer a concussion, per San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken.
Mike McCoy said Chargers DE Joey Bosa has been diagnosed with neck strain. Some relief. No concussion.
— Michael Gehlken (@sdutGehlken) December 12, 2016
In other news, defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi has been suspended by the league for violation of the league’s policy against substance abuse, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Eric Williams.
San Diego Chargers announce DL Tenny Palepoi has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the… https://t.co/EIXM7LMLCy
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) December 12, 2016
The suspension will be four games, meaning Palepoi won’t play again this year and will not be eligible in the season opener next year. Undrafted out of Utah in 2014, Palepoi finishes the 2016 season with 13 tackles.
How much worse can things get for this Chargers team? Though there are still three regular season games left to pay, it seems most Chargers fans can agree that this season—perhaps the last in San Diego—can’t end soon enough.