Some players are already in the doghouse and on the bad-guys list before the 2019 season has started. These 25 will be sitting out because of suspensions for various reasons.
Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory added to his multiple suspensions in February. The Cowboys’ defensive lineman is indefinitely suspended. This is Gregory’s fourth suspension since being selected by Dallas in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
David Irving
David Irving was suspended indefinitely for violating the league’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, the NFL announced in March. He played for Dallas but is currently a free agent.
David Onyemata
David Onyemata of the Saints will miss one game for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Rico Gathers
Dallas Cowboys TE Rico Gathers will miss a game for violating the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse. Gathers was arrested Aug. 31, 2018, in Frisco, Texas, for marijuana possession. He pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanor charge.
Malik McDowell
Former Seattle Seahawk Malik McDowell will miss two games. The ban is reportedly tied to McDowell having been charged in Michigan for offenses in two separate incidents. One charge alleged assault and resisting arrest as well as operating a vehicle while intoxicated in an incident that culminated in a scuffle with police officers at a gas station. The other charge came from allegedly receiving and concealing stolen property after buying a Ford truck valued at $74,000 for $3,000.
Richie Incognito
Another frequent name on the suspension list is Richie Incognito. The Raiders’ guard will miss two games as a result of Incognito’s role in an April incident at an Arizona funeral home following his father’s death. Incognito was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
Chad Kelly
The NFL suspended Chad Kelly without pay for the first two games of the 2019 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Kelly’s suspension, announced in late May, is because he was arrested and charged with trespassing for entering a woman’s home after an annual Halloween party thrown by Broncos star Von Miller. Kelly was cut by Denver and signed by Indianapolis.
Ra’Shede Hageman
Ra-Shede Hageman was re-signed by the Falcons, who will have to wait for Week Three before he can play. The defensive lineman is suspended for two games. Hageman was booked on a DWI charge in June 2018. Hageman previously received a six-game suspension for a domestic violence allegation in 2017.
Jhurell Pressley
Former Giants running back Jhurell Pressley’s looming two-game suspension is a result of violating the NFL’s policy on PEDS, NJ.com reported in April.
Roc Thomas
Minnesota DB Roc Thomas will miss three games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Thomas was arrested on felony marijuana charges in January after police found over 143 grams of the drug at his Minnesota apartment.
Chris Herndon
The NFL suspended the Jets’ Chris Herndon for the first four games of the 2019 regular season for violating the league’s policy and program on substances of abuse. Per NFL.com: The 23-year-old pleaded guilty in January to DWI stemming from a June 2018 accident. Herndon received a four-game suspension, not the normal two because a woman at the scene claimed bodily harm due to the crash.
Aaron Neary
Rams offensive lineman Aaron Neary was suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse. The suspension was announced in late June.
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith, who started six games last season for Tampa Bay, was suspended without pay for the initial four games of the 2019 regular season for violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Jalin Marshall
Jalin Marshall was released by the Oakland Raiders only days after signing in June. He was then suspended for the first four games of this season. He reportedly violated the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.
Antonio Garcia
Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Antonio Garcia was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The ban came down in June.
Leonte Caroo
Leonte Carroo, who the Dolphins cut in March, is suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season.
Benjamin Watston
Benjamin Watson, a Patriots TE, will miss the first four games of the season. He explained the suspension: “After my contract expired (in) March, I told my doctors I was finished playing, went through a series of medical tests and was prescribed Bio Identical Testosterone Cypionate to assist in healing my body and mind,” Watson wrote. “On March 29, nine days after I started therapy, I was randomly tested under our substance policies. I complied out of habit, never thinking in that moment I’d want to come back. “I am excited and thankful to return to New England but very disappointed that I will not be able to play and contribute immediately. This is not how I would want to enter a new locker room and attempt to earn my role on a new team. However, I respect the regulations that have been collectively bargained to promote fairness on the field of play and accept the discipline associated with my infraction.”
Alex Redmond
The NFL suspended Alex Redmond four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Redmond started 15 games at right guard in 2018. He was suspended in May.
Holton Hill
The Vikings’ Holton Hill will miss thee first four games of the 2019 regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Jarran Reed
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed will miss the first six games of the season. He has been suspended for a violation of the personal conduct policy for an incident from 2017. He was not charged or arrested.
Patrick Peterson
All-Pro DB Patrick Peterson will miss the first six games of the 2019 season while he serves his ban. The six-game suspension on a player’s first violation stems from a positive test plus an attempt to manipulate or mask the result. “Patrick recognizes how disappointing this is for everyone in the organization as well as our fans. As we all do, he understands that regardless of intent he is ultimately responsible for everything he puts in his body,”the Cardinals said in a statement after the suspension was announced in May.
Kareem Hunt
The Browns’ Kareem Hunt will miss the first eight games of the season due to a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. Hunt was with the Chiefs last season and released when TMZ Sports published footage of an incident at a Cleveland hotel, which showed him shoving and kicking a woman.
Rashard Robinson
Rashard Robinson, formerly of the Jets and Niners, will miss 10 games, if he catches on with any team, after being suspended for a substance abuse violation after missing several drug tests. In 2018, Robinson was barred from playing in the first four games of the season for the New York Jets after being arrested for possession of edible marijuana.
Dion Jordan
Dion Jordan seems to spend as much time suspended as he does active. In May, he was banned 10 games for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy by taking Adderall — a medication Jordan has been approved to take in the past as treatment for ADHD, but for which his therapeutic use exemption (TUE) had expired.
Azeem Victor
Azeem Victor, a free agent was suspended for 10 games in April. The cause was not announced but the length makes it seem like a PED violation, and not his first one.
