First, let's deal with the elephant-sized poster in the room: Brandon Banks did not miss the start of Hamilton Tiger-Cats training camp so he could go to a pool party.

That's been the rumour floating around social media for a couple of days, fuelled by a poster which showed Banks, in full Ticats' uniform, as the feature image on promotional material for a pool party held in Raleigh, N.C. on Sunday— the same day as Hamilton opened their 2016 camp.

But that's not the reason he isn't at McMaster with the rest of his teammates. Banks is involved in a family law dispute with the mother of two of his children, a situation he's trying to resolve before he returns to Canada and resume his football career.

Whether any of this matters — or is anybody's business but Banks' — is a legitimate question. But the poster led to increasingly rampant speculation that one of the team's most popular players had skipped out on his teammates for a few extra days of fun.

The poster came to light almost immediately after the Ticats announced on Sunday that Banks had been placed on the suspended list. A few people tweeted it at Banks and emailed it to local media members.

Banks insisted on Twitter the pool party was held May 22, not this past weekend. However, several social Facebook posts — including some from Banks — show the party was originally scheduled for the 22nd but was subsequently changed to last Sunday.

Whether Banks actually attended the party, or even played a role in its planning, is unknown. It's not unusual for friends or acquaintances of a sports celebrity — Banks is from Raleigh and was a high school star before playing three seasons with the Washington Redskins — to use them as a draw for events in exchange for a portion of the profits.

Head coach Kent Austin cited "family issues" Sunday to explain Banks' absence and declined to elaborate further. Austin's statement, combined with Banks' subsequent social media posts, led some to believe Banks was dealing with a health concern surrounding one of his children. That does not appear to be the case. But outstanding family law issues can make it difficult for American players to obtain the necessary documentation needed to play in Canada.

To be fair, the idea that Banks would skip training camp to attend a pool party never did make a ton of sense. In his two-plus seasons in Hamilton, Banks has exuded a team-first attitude and he's been one of the Ticats most durable and productive players — despite his diminutive stature. He's been active in the community, accessible to media and engaging and friendly with fans.

If there's a knock against the 28-year-old — and he'd likely be the first guy to acknowledge this — it's that he hasn't always made the best and most mature decisions off the field. He's tried to put much of his troubled past behind him — he almost died from stab wounds suffered in a late-night altercation outside a bar in 2011.

How long Banks will remain absent is an open question as these are delicate and complex issues. Banks has been reluctant to discuss any of this in detail.

Notes: Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Hamilton through the 2017 season. Lawrence, who was entering the last year of a deal he signed before the 2014 season, was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2015 when he registered 79 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions. He was an East Division all-star in 2014 and 2015, when he also earned a CFL nod ... TSN will broadcast four of a possible nine CFL pre-season games but neither of the Ticats contests are among them. Hamilton travels to BMO Field in Toronto to face the Argonauts on June 11 before hosting the Ottawa Redblacks at Tim Hortons Field on June 17.

Drew Edwards Spectator reporter Drew Edwards covers the CFL and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Latest news on the blog 3DownNation.

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