Before being officially barred from Broncos facilities for the next four weeks, Wes Welker addressed the team Wednesday morning after his suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The message: I’m very sorry, but I’ll be back.
“Wes just wanted us to know how much this team means to him, and how much we mean to him, and what he’s going to do when he gets back,” Broncos tight end Julius Thomas said. “There’s nothing that can be done right now, but we know when he comes back, he’s going to be a man on a mission.”
The mood at Dove Valley in the wake of Welker’s suspension might best be described as a weary “been there, done that.” For the third consecutive season, the team has had a top player suspended for violating drug policies, with Von Miller and D.J. Williams the others.
Coach John Fox clearly isn’t happy at losing one of his top receivers during the week of the season opener against one of the AFC’s best teams, the Indianapolis Colts.
“Obviously, it wasn’t great timing, because we’d picked our roster,” Fox said. “Obviously, I was very disappointed, but we honor the league’s policies.”
Fox said Welker, sidelined recently with a concussion, likely would have been cleared to practice this week had he not been suspended.
Quarterback Peyton Manning called Welker’s suspension a “self-inflicted wound” but said the players support him.
“Unfortunately, it’s something that’s happened to us in the past,” Manning said. “We’ve had some players who we thought were going to be with us that weren’t. The good thing is, we were able to overcome it. It hasn’t been easy, and it’s something you’d like not to have happen, but I think it’s a little bit of a gut-check time.
“Let’s face it, last year we faced more adversity than I think anybody’s ever faced, with some suspensions, some injuries, our head coach had a heart attack (and was out) for five weeks. The players and coaches that were here just kept it together.”
Adrian Dater: adater@denverpost.com or twitter.com/adater
