RICHMOND — Bashaud Breeland said it was “a great relief” to learn that the knee injury he sustained in the Washington Redskins’ training camp practice on Friday was only a sprain to his MCL.
Breeland was covering undrafted rookie wide receiver Quinton Dunbar when he slipped on the grass and his right leg bent beneath him. He remained on the grass for some time, surrounded by a host of teammates, before he was helped to a cart and driven back into the Redskins’ facility.
“My heart dropped when it first happened, but when I got the results back, everything was good,” said Breeland, who faces at least a month-long recovery. “I knew I could work and get back.”
Breeland, entering his second season, took over as a starter after DeAngelo Hall tore his left Achilles tendon in Week 3. He figures to assume an important role for the Redskins as their nickel corner with Hall returning Chris Culliver joining the team this offseason on a four-year contract.
Much of Breeland’s focus, he said, will be in learning the nuances of the position through meetings and watching film. He’ll have an additional week to do that, owing to his one-game suspension handed down by league hours earlier for a violation of its substance-abuse policy.
Breeland, speaking to reporters for the first time since the injury and suspension, didn’t want to delve into the specifics of the penalty, but acknowledged that it was tied to the citation he received for possession of marijuana the day before training camp ended last year.
“Consequences come,” Breeland said, addressing the suspension for the first time. “Everything’s got consequences, and so I’ve got to deal with the consequences. I made a rookie mistake, and I got to deal with it then and it’s a year later. It’s something I’ve got to deal with.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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