ASHBURN — Fred Davis admitted the obvious. He made a mistake and needed to make changes. That’s what he said he has done.
“Lesson definitely learned,” Davis said Monday.
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The Redskins clearly hope so. The tight end was suspended for the final four games in 2011 after testing positive multiple times for smoking marijuana. Davis contends that he did not test positive “three straight times” as reports indicated. Regardless, it was for multiple positive tests. And at this point it no longer matters.
“It’s definitely a good feeling to be back out here after missing those games and not being able to help my team,” Davis said. “It’s one of those things that shouldn’t happen and definitely won’t happen again in my career.”
Davis said he has altered his lifestyle since the suspension.
“Just not being around it,” he said. “It’s not that hard. You choose to be around it. It’s like anything. You just have to make sure you make the right choices. This game doesn’t last long, and missing four games, it could have been your last four games. So I think of it as that, and it’s something I’ll never do again.
“It never was a big issue. I guess the lockout made me a little more free doing that, and that’s probably what it was, all that free time. Now I realize what’s important, and it’s football. It’s not going to be an issue for me.”
Davis and left tackle Trent Williams both missed the final four games. If either tests positive for drugs again, he will miss a year. That’s one reason Davis, a free agent this season, was franchised rather than signed to a long-term deal.
But Davis proved to be a playmaker in 2011, posting career highs in catches (59) and yards (796). Both also were team highs at the time of his suspension.
“They know what type of guy I am,” Davis said. “I’ll work hard. Yeah I smoked, but it doesn’t change what type of player I’ll be. They trust me off the field, and I’ll be fine and handle it.”
