Jerry Jones provides update on status of suspended OL La'el Collins

Despite ongoing litigation, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects offensive lineman La’el Collins will miss the game on Sunday versus New England. It’s the final game of his five-game suspension.

“Frankly, I do not have anything that’s worth noting that would indicate otherwise,” Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.

The Cowboys have been rolling without Collins at right tackle, sitting at 4-1 and first in the NFC East. After losing in week one to Tampa Bay, Dallas beat the Chargers, Eagles, Panthers and Giants.

The kickoff versus the 2-3 Patriots is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Cowboys will be on the road for the first time in three weeks.

Collins continues fight against suspension

Texas District Judge Amos L. Mazzant has taken Collins’ under advisement, per Pro Football Talk. Collins had a hearing last Friday regarding his suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy.

Collins sat out for four games and the NFL continues aggressively defending its position that Collins should be out for the full five games. Agent Peter Schaffer, who assists in the representation of Collins in this matter, issued a statement following the hearing.

“I was embarrassed today to be a part of the NFL, as the league’s outside lawyers made numerous unsubstantiated and unnecessary attempts to assassinate the character of Mr. Colllins,” Schaffer said. “He is a member of the league and should be treated with respect. The NFL’s ‘win at all costs’ mentality when dealing with its own players on display today was and is shameful. We hold the NFL in the highest regard, but today their counsel didn’t live up to that standard.”

Collins’ argument is that the NFL substance abuse policy doesn’t permit suspensions for missed tests.

“The suit is meritless as already determined by two jointly-appointed NFL-NFLPA impartial arbitrators who have reviewed this,” the NFL said. “We will seek to have this case dismissed as soon as possible.”

According to ESPN, the league was preparing to suspend Collins for five games, but the NFLPA helped negotiate the suspension to just two games. Collins, though, appealed the suspension, with the arbitrator ruling that Collins’s suspension should increase back to the original five games.

La’El Collins missed seven tests and believes he had legitimate reasons for the missed tests. He missed one on the day that Cowboys coach Markus Paul died last November.

Since signing with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2015, La’el Collins has been a staple on the Dallas offensive line, starting 62 games in that span.

Although a judge did take the case of the Cowboys tackle under advisement, it appears he won’t take the field until his scheduled date of return anyway.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.