FSU Alums: Has Lawrence Timmons played his last NFL game?

Lawrence Timmons has been suspended by the Miami Dolphins after going AWOL before the opener – so, is his time with the team done?

As the NFL kicked off week two of their season last weekend, there was an interesting side note ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ season debut against the Los Angeles Chargers: one of the team’s starting linebackers, former FSU football star Lawrence Timmons, went AWOL on Saturday and could not be found by officials.

Eventually, Timmons – who was acquired in the offseason after spending his entire pro career in Pittsburgh where he won a Super Bowl title with the Steelers – was found and team officials said he was neither in medical nor legal trouble. However, he was listed inactive for the game amid the growing questions of what the heck took place.

On Tuesday, the Dolphins suspended Lawrence Timmons indefinitely – where he could be suspended for as many as four games before the team would have to make a decision whether to let him go or reinstate him.

Some reports have said that Timmons was depressed and wanted to see his newborn baby in Pennsylvania, though that has not been confirmed. No matter what the reason, NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk reports that the suspension could prove to be quite costly for the former Seminole:

"He’ll lose $58,823 per week (based on a $1 million annual salary), and he’ll potentially be required to refund 4/17th of the 2017 allocation of $5.5 million signing bonus ($647,000). The most also wipes out the remaining guarantees in his contract (he had $11 million fully guaranteed at signing), allowing the team to cut him with no further financial obligation."

Shortly after announcing the suspension, the team traded for a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints – which would give further indication that the Dolphins are set to part ways with Lawrence Timmons. However, it could also be an indication that they are just trying to solve a temporary problem until Timmons comes back in anywhere between one and four games.

Without knowing all the details, it seems as if Lawrence Timmons is at a crossroads in his career. Until he or the Dolphins decides to speak out about why he up and left without any notice, we’re all left to speculate – which doesn’t help his case for staying with the team.

Next: FSU in The NFL: Week 2 Recap of Former Noles

In a league where loyalty and being there for your team is sometimes more important than even legal issues like domestic violence (showing how misguided it can be), Timmons’ actions could mean him getting shown the door in South Florida – and maybe from the entire league.