Former Bears quarterback Mark Sanchez used social media Friday to acknowledge a four-game suspension from the NFL tied to his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Sanchez posted a statement to Instagram that read: "The NFL has informed me that I have tested positive for a substance on the banned substance list. I was blind-sided by the news and I want to say unequivocally that I have never cheated or attempted to gain a competitive advantage by using a performance enhancing substance. During the past 9 years as an NFL player I have been subject to 73 drug tests _ and average of over 8 tests per season _ and all but one have been clean. I have taken the same regimen of supplements for the past five years without any issues. The timing and results of my tests establish circumstances of unknowing supplement contamination, not the use of performance enhancing substances."
Sanchez, signed by the Bears in March 2018 on a one-year deal that ultimately paid him $1.75 million, was inactive for all 16 games last season as the team's third quarterback. But the veteran was valued within the organization for his mentorship of then-rookie Mitch Trubisky.
Sanchez's contract with the Bears expired in March and he remains a free agent. The Bears moved in a different direction, signing Chase Daniel as their backup to Trubisky and later adding Tyler Bray.
It's unclear when Sanchez's positive test occurred. The Bears had two high-profile PED suspensions in 2016 with Alshon Jeffery and Jerrell Freeman each hit that fall with four-game punishments. Freeman received a second PED suspension of 10 games last season after he had already been lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
