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Tuesday, November 25, 1997

NFL lifts Lett's suspension in time for Dec. 8 game

DALLAS (AP) - Leon Lett can return next week from a one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, the league announced Monday.

The star defensive lineman can practice with the Dallas Cowboys beginning next Monday and will be eligible to play in the team's home game on Dec. 8, the following Monday night, against the Carolina Panthers.

"Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys has been notified by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue that his application for reinstatement to the National Football League has been reviewed and approved," the NFL wrote in a two-paragraph statement.

The move was not unexpected as Lett was suspended Dec. 3, 1996, for violating the league's drug policy for a second time. His first suspension kept him off the field for four games in 1995. At the time, he was told another violation would lead to a minimum one-year suspension without pay.

His absence left a large void on the Cowboys' line, especially when end Charles Haley retired over the summer.

Lett's return may be coming too late to save Dallas' season. The Cowboys are 6-6 and on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Lett, a run-stopping specialist, would have been especially useful Sunday when Dorsey Levens ran for a team-record 190 yards as the Green Bay Packers crushed Dallas 45-17. The Cowboys play Tennessee on Thursday and must try stopping another top runner, Eddie George.

Lett, 29, is known for his gaffes as well as his great plays.

Lett was showboating near the end of what would have been a 64-yard touchdown run with a fumble in the 1993 Super Bowl when Buffalo wide receiver Don Beebe caught him from behind and stripped the ball away, resulting in a touchback.

In a snowy Thanksgiving Day game several months later, Dallas appeared to have the game in hand after blocking a last-minute field goal attempt by the Miami Dolphins.

As the ball was about to roll dead near the goal-line, Lett thought he had to recover it or the Cowboys wouldn't have possession. He touched the ball, but it squirted away and the Dolphins recovered, allowing them a successful second chance at a game-winning field goal.