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Bruce Arians wants more structure for Daryl Washington, other suspended players

Darryl Webb / Reuters

Suspended linebacker Daryl Washington broke his silence recently, telling Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 that he has passed every drug test and is looking forward to a fresh start.

Washington remains under contract with the Arizona Cardinals through 2017, but his future with the team is up in the air. The NFL suspended Washington for the 2014 season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy and he could face additional punishment after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated assault on his ex-girlfriend last March. 

"I really can't even talk about Daryl," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said during the NFL owners meetings, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. "He's not even a part of our team, so there's no sense in talking about him."

As part of his suspension, Washington has been prohibited from returning to the Cardinals' practice facility – a rule Arians disagrees with. 

Arians was asked what changes he would make to the way the NFL approaches suspended players and said he is against removing them from an organized environment. 

"I would definitely not isolate them from the only structure in their life," Arians said. "You have to make sure they have structure in their life.

"Hopefully, that structure will help them overcome the problem – not turn them loose on themselves because obviously when they're by themselves, they can’t handle it."

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