Vincent Jackson Suspension Reduced to Four Games If He's Traded by Next Week

Filed under: Chargers, Lions, Redskins, VikingsChargers receiver Vincent Jackson will still have to serve a six-game suspension if he stays in San Diego. But should the disgruntled wide receiver get his wish and be traded to another team before next Wednesday, his suspension will be cut to four games per the terms of a settlement reached Thursday between the NFL and its players' union, a source told FanHouse on Thursday.

FanHouse was the first to report that the league and the union were negotiating a settlement aimed at reducing Jackson's suspension. An arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Thursday, at which the union was planning to challenge (on Jackson's behalf) the league's right to suspend him for three games as a result of his roster-exempt status with the Chargers if he ended up playing for another team. But the settlement reached late Wednesday night, eliminated the need for that hearing and made it more likely that Jackson will be traded out of San Diego.

Jackson is already scheduled to serve a three-game suspension to start this season because of personal conduct policy violations. The additional three games were imposed when the Chargers put him on the roster exempt list because of his holdout from training camp and the start of the season, but Jackson argued that the additional suspension shouldn't apply if he's no longer with the Chargers.

DamienHobgood DanPastor DaneReynolds DanielWatkins DannyHarf