NFL teams
Adam Schefter, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

Justin Blackmon to enter rehab

NFL, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon will enter a rehab facility, league sources told ESPN.

Blackmon was suspended indefinitely on Friday for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

A former first-round draft selection, Blackmon previously was suspended for the first four games of this season for violating the policy. He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement prior to the start of next season.

The NFL has increased its awareness of players with recurring issues and has placed added emphasis on support, as opposed to just discipline.

The NFLPA also has been pushing for treating players rather than disciplining them, and has tried to steer players that need help into rehab facilities before disciplining them. San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Aldon Smith recently was released from an alcohol treatment center.

Selected fifth overall in 2012, Blackmon has registered 29 catches for 415 yards and a touchdown for the winless Jaguars (0-8), who have a bye this week.

Blackmon's past troubles have been well documented. He was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge in Texas in 2010 after officers caught him speeding on a suburban Dallas highway. The charge was later reduced to an underage alcohol possession charge.

A little more than a month after the Jaguars traded up to select the former Oklahoma State star in the draft, he was arrested during a traffic stop in Stillwater, Okla., after a breath test allegedly showed his blood alcohol content to be three times the legal limit.

That arrest landed him in the NFL's substance-abuse program.

ESPN.com Jaguars reporter Michael DiRocco and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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