Alvin Kamara was suspended for three games following the 2022 Pro Bowl incident

The New Orleans Saints will be missing a significant part of their offence in the early stages of the 2023 regular season.

Following an in-person meeting earlier this week with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, it was announced Friday that Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been given a three-game suspension for his role in a fight which occurred during the 2022 Pro Bowl week.

The altercation took place outside of a Las Vegas nightclub ahead of the showcase event in February of last year, with the 28-year-old Saints running back initially being charged with conspiracy to commit battery and substantial bodily harm.

Last month the five-time Pro Bowler pleaded down to a breach of peace charge and was ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to cover the medical fees of the victim.

On Friday, Kamara expressed regrets for his part in the incident.

“I was completely wrong,” Kamara said “I embarrassed the Saints, I embarrassed my family and my mother. I embarrassed myself, embarrassed the city, and the shield, obviously, embarrassed the NFL.”

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Kamara is ready to turn the page and help New Orleans be successful this year.

“Alvin’s going to be a huge part of what we do this year. We’ll take things in stride and how they happen. We’ll deal with, you know, anything we have to deal with. We’ll deal with it when the time’s right.”

The Atlanta native is fifth among active rushing leaders in the NFL, racking up 5,135 yards on 1,135 carries with 49 touchdowns in 88 career games.

New Orleans will open their 2023 regular season campaign on September 10 with a home game versus the Tennessee Titans.