Bills Lynch Suspended 3 Games

Commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to suspend Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch for the first three games of the 2009 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, according to sources. An official announcement is likely coming on Thursday

Lynch is expected to appeal the suspension, which will lose, the Bills back approximately $112,000 of his $635,000 base salary for 2009 during the suspension.

The Bills running back was arrested on a misdemeanor gun charge. In searching a parked car carrying Lynch, Culver City police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack in the trunk.

After pleading guilty to having a concealed firearm in a vehicle, Lynch was sentenced last month to 80 hours of community service and three years' probation.

This is the second violation for Lynch in as many years, when he pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted driving off after striking a female pedestrian with his car. He avoided suspension the first time after meeting with Commisioner Goodell at training camp last summer. No such luck this time.