Sheldon Richardson Suspended: Latest Details and Reaction on Jets Star

New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson was suspended for the first game of the 2016 season Thursday for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first to report the 25-year-old's ban.

Richardson was arrested in O'Fallon, Missouri, in July 2015 and was clocked driving 143 mph with a 12-year-old child in the car, according to Mark Schlinkmann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He pleaded guilty and avoided jail time in favor of probation.

Richardson commented on his suspension on Friday via an Instagram post:

The former Mizzou standout is set to enter his fourth NFL season, and his presence is perhaps more important to the Jets than ever before.

With nose tackle Damon Harrison no longer in the fold and 3-4 end Muhammad Wilkerson in the midst of a contract dispute, Richardson is the key piece of the New York defensive line.

He made the Pro Bowl in 2014 after registering 66 tackles and eight sacks and followed that up last season with 35 tackles and five sacks in 11 games.

The 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year is a versatile force capable of playing end, tackle or linebacker, and his availability is integral to the success of head coach Todd Bowles' defense.

Save for a potential appeal, New York will not have him when it faces the Cincinnati Bengals in a tough Week 1 matchup on September 11, and that could get the Jets off on the wrong foot in a game that would have been difficult to win regardless.

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