Brian Cushing Suspended 4 Games

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SWEET!!

Brian Orakpo may stand to benefit from Brian Cushing's suspension


Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo's case for defensive Rookie of the Year could be open again -- sort of.

Dave Goldberg, a longtime voter and advisor for the Associated Press's annual award, says that a re-vote is possible after it was revealed that last season's winner, Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, tested positive for a banned substance.

The Associated Press is discussing whether to strip Cushing of the award. It could simply allow voters to cast their votes again to see if they feel Cushing is still deserving of the honor.

Orakpo finished a distant fourth in the initial voting, but no one was close to Cushing and those votes could be re-distributed in a variety of ways.

The award is determined by a nationwide vote of media members. Here's how the initial vote breakdown looked: Cushing 39, Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd 6, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews 3 and Orakpo 2.

Cushing finished fifth in the league with 134 tackles, and Byrd was tied for the league-lead with nine interceptions. Orakpo was tied for seventh in the league with 11 sacks, one more than Matthews.