By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus isn't at practice today. He was called away after the shooting death of his 19-year-old brother in suburban Birmingham, Ala.
Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan writes at the "Sully on Sports" blog that Dareus is expected to play in Sunday's home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bills coach Chan Gailey suggested Dareus understands he has an obligation to be back in time for the game.
"I think he understands responsibility everywhere," Gailey said. "You can't be everywhere all the time. So we didn't try to pressure him into anything. I think he understands responsibility, which is good. All of our condolences do go out to him and the family. He's got a lot on his plate, to say the least."
I asked Bills safety and captain George Wilson what the Bills can do for Dareus this week.
"With what he's got going on, the best thing we can probably do is just pray for him and his family," Wilson said. "There's no good time to handle a situation like this. With Marcell having to deal with this, all we can do is keep him uplifted with our thoughts and prayers and just hope that he can be able to get back to us.
"He needs some time to be able to gather himself, to be able to come back to us and be himself. He needs his time with his family. This is a severe loss."
