Eight years after he last appeared in an NFL game, Rolando McClain is officially cleared to attempt a comeback. The former Cowboys and Raiders linebacker was reinstated from an indefinite suspension this week, according to Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell informed McClain of the move on Thursday, per Mike Fisher, and the 34-year-old free agent has been working out daily in anticipation of a hopeful return to the field.
“I’m ready for the NFL now,” McClain told Fisher. “Like riding a bike. Football is life. I love the game.”
Goodell, he added, “has been a big supporter of mine from the beginning,” hence the new opportunity to rejoin the NFL.
Drafted No. 8 overall by the Raiders in 2010, McClain entered the NFL as one of the most prolific linebacker prospects of his time, garnering All-American honors in addition to the Butkus Award as part of Alabama’s national championship team. He made an instant impact for the Raiders, logging 100 tackles, five sacks and 11 pass deflections in 2011. But reported discord with team staffers, plus an offseason arrest that led to a brief prison sentence, prompted his release after just three seasons.
McClain signed with the Ravens in 2013, only to announce his retirement at age 23 before the season. He returned the following summer, was traded to the Cowboys, and appeared in 24 games for Dallas between 2014-2015. He was suspended ahead of the 2016 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, however, and despite a 2019 reinstatement, was re-banned months later.
