Jolly, who has started every game for the last two seasons for the Packers, will be ineligible to play in 2010 but may apply for reinstatement following the Super Bowl.

“Johnny is a good player that loves everything about the game of football,” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement.

“We appreciate the contributions he has made to the Packers the past four seasons. His focus and priorities now lie elsewhere — our thoughts are with him during this difficult personal time.”

The Texas A&M alum was charged with possession of at least 200 grams of codeine in July, 2008, after police came over to check the excessive noise (music) coming from his car, which was parked outside a Houston club known for illicit drugs and guns.

Police said they “smelled the strong odor of codeine” in cups in the car and charged Jolly. Two passengers in the car were also charged, one after a handgun was found on the floor of the passenger side of car, and the other with possession of marijuana.

The charges against Jolly were dropped in July, 2009 so lab technicians could become proficient with new equipment that measures codeine. He was reindicted in December. If convicted, Jolly faces up to 20 years in prison.

In May, Jolly further drew the ire of a Houston judge when flyers showed him as part of a group of people hosting a party at the Blue Door night club in Houston. As part of his original bond, he had been ordered to refrain from alcohol and drugs.

“I had better not see any more flyers like this,” state District Judge Mike Anderson told Jolly, and placed tougher restrictions on his bond, ordering him to submit a hair sample for additional drug testing, adhere to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and be evaluated by a drug counsellor.

The 27-year-old Jolly recorded 39 tackles and 1 sack last season as the Packers defense allowed a league-best 83.3 rushing yards per game. The team prepared for the looming suspension by drafting Purdue defensive lineman Mike Neal in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Here’s what Aaron Rodgers had to say, as transcribed by sports radio interviews.com.

On Mr. PTI:

“You know who was better than Tony Kornheiser? Dennis Miller was 10 times better. Dennis Miller was a great comedian, but one of the worst Monday Night Football guys ever. And he was 10 times better than Tony Kornheiser. His stuff was actually funny. Tony stuff wasn’t funny at all. He did no research. We’d sit in those production meetings and he would add absolutely nothing to the conversation. I’d be like, ‘What are we doing here? This is stupid.’… You get in there with Tony and he’s asking you all these dumb questions that have no application to the game you are playing or anything you are doing. He’s terrible… I don’t think he’s funny. I don’t think he’s insightful. I don’t think knows anything about sports.”

On analysts he listens and respects:

“A good starting point is if you have played in the league and had some success. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about guys on ESPN and stuff like that. (What about Ron Jaworski?) I like him, but, when I was coming out, he did the worst segment in the history of TV about me talking about my fundamentals. It was not even close to anywhere near my fundamentals. The first time I met him, someone introduced me to him and I said, ‘Yeah I know him. He’s the guy who ripped me before the draft.’ The rest of the night he told me how great I was. I was like, ‘I know your song and dance.’ And now he loves me. I like Trent. He does a good job. He’s had success at the position. You look at Marcellus Wiley up there talking about quarterback play. The guy was a defensive end for a few years in the league. He’s not any good.”

On his top 5 QBs in the league:

“Tom Brady is the best by far. It’s not even close. Drew Brees has got to be right there. Tony Romo’s a good player. I’ll take Philip Rivers there. And Peyton, he’s right there. No order except for Tom being the best. He does things that other guys can’t do. His pocket presence is better than those guys by far. He throws a better ball than just about all those guys. He’s a winner – better than all those guys.”

Underwood and a six-pack of Packers met the two women at Cruisin Chubby’s a strip bar outside Lake Delton, Wisc., on Saturday night. 

The women joined the group afterwards to party at the Wilderness Resort Golf Cabins, a gathering described by another guest as a “bunch of drunks having a bachelor’s party.”

According to Michaels’ sources, Underwood solicited one or both of the women to return to his room and while the sexual encounter was taking place, one of the women tried to rob the second-year cornerback.

Once discovered, the two women were thrown out of the condo, Michaels reported, adding that that’s when the two women called police and alleged the sexual assault.

Underwood’s attorney, Richard Kaiser, said his client is innocent of all charges.

“When the dust settles, Brandon will be vindicated,” Kaiser said on Tuesday.

A day earlier, Lake Delton police chief Tom Dorner said he would not recommend pressing charges against Underwood to the district attorney because the women changed their statements during the investigation.

At first, the two Milwaukee women, 31 and 33, said they were sexually assaulted by more than one person while others held them down. They later said only one player was involved in the alleged crime.

“It’s obviously troubling they would make that statement originally and shortly into the investigation change it, a pretty important piece of information,” Dorner said.

The 6 Packers questioned and released in the investigation were linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones, quarterback Matt Flynn, wide receiver Khalil Jones, guard Josh Sitton and fullback Korey Hall.

The players were in town for a charity golf tournament hosted by Matthews.

According to Dorner, the two Milwaukee women, 31 and 33, first said they were sexually assaulted by more than one person while others held them down. The incident took place early on Saturday at a Lake Delton, Wisc., golf resort condo where 7 Packers were partying.

Six Packers were subsequently questioned and released: Linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones, quarterback Matt Flynn, wide receiver Khalil Jones, guard Josh Sitton and fullback Korey Hall.

Dorner said the women, who met the players at a local bar, later said only one Packer was involved and that they were not held down by others. And that no weapons were involved in the incident.

“It’s obviously troubling they would make that statement originally and shortly into the investigation change it, a pretty important piece of information,” Dorner said.

The unidentified player who remained under investigation is believed to be second-year cornerback Brandon Underwood.

According to Dorner, he claimed the sex was consensual, while the women said it was sexual assault.

The only facts that are common is that the women and the player were in a room together, police said, adding that the player was interviewed twice before being released.

“We didn’t think we had enough probable cause to make an arrest,” Dorner said.

As we said then, we usually disregard offseason “power rankings” but here’s one that has lasting power, especially for gamers.

The EA Sports John Madden NFL 2011 ratings for each team have been released. For comparison, we added how the teams ranked the year before.

Some of the biggest movers aren’t a surprise, like the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints or the AFC championship runner-up New York Jets. But also taking a big step forward are AFC North rivals  Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals as well as the Green Bay Packers.

Heading the other direction in Madden’s world are the New England Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.

The game goes on sale on Aug. 10.

Underwood, 23, is a second-year player out of Cincinnati who played in 11 games last season. He did not make a start and did not get playing time until the second half of the season, recording 8 tackles.

According to the paper, several players identified Underwood as having been a problem since being drafted. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt described the sixth-round pick as immature early in his rookie campaign.

The incident took place early Saturday at a condo in Lake Delton, Wisc., at a party that included six of Underwood’s teammates: Linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones, quarterback Matt Flynn, wide receiver Khalil Jones, guard Josh Sitton, fullback Korey Hall.

All six were questioned by police and released. They are not considered suspects.

“(The) seventh did have contact with the two females,” Gerald Grimsled told the Journal Sentinel. “We were pretty sure of that. Everybody was cooperative.

“It comes down to ‘was it consensual sex?’ One side says yes, the other says no.”

Police said the two women, 31 and 33, are from Milwaukee and met the players at a bar. They called police at 4:17 a.m. and directed them to the Wilderness Resort Golf Cabins.

A guest at the resort, Peter Bartell, told the Journal Sentinel that when he returned to his condo at 3 a.m., that the Packers party was in full motion.

“To me it sounded like a bunch of drunks having a bachelor’s party,” Bartell said.

The players were in town for a charity golf tournament hosted by Matthews.

Packers spokesman Jeff Blumb issued the obligatory statement that the team is “aware of the reported incident and still are gathering facts.”

The incident took place at a rented condominium in Lake Delton, Wisc., shared by 7 Packers. Based on the initial complaint, police were told that more than one man was involved in the assault and as a result, all 7 players were interviewed.

Six players were subsequently released and are not considered suspects by police: Linebacker Clay Matthews, quarterback Matt Flynn, wide receiver Khalil Jones, guard Josh Sitton, fullback Korey Hall and linebacker Brad Jones.

The seventh remains unidentified pending the investigation. According to the Green Bay Post Gazette, he told police he met the women at a local bar and that the sex was consensual.

The two women told police that they had both been sexually assaulted and directed them to the condominium at the Wilderness Resort Golf Cabins. Many players were in town for Matthews’ charity golf tournament.