DeAndre Hopkins, a wide receiver for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, will miss the team’s first six games because he failed a PED, or performance-enhancing drug, test.
The NFL player talked about how he was suspended for 6 games because a banned substance was found in his blood. He also said that the League’s policy was “black and white.”
Hopkins says that the violation is still true because 0.134% of Ostarine was found in his blood and the limit is 0.1%. After a training camp practice, the All-Pro wide receiver, who is 30 years old, told Arizona Sports, “I’ve never done anything like that. If you know what it is, you might find it in shampoo or a lot of other things. The NFL is pretty black and white, so it makes sense that I wish the rule wasn’t so black and white.” DeAndre Hopkins went on by saying, “What it is, is. If you don’t work at the company that makes something, it’s hard to know when something gets contaminated in a small amount.”
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, number 10, of the Arizona Cardinals, plays in an NFL game on October 24, 2021, in Glendale, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Texans by a score of 31–5.
Hopkins takes the six-game ban in stride
The wide receiver went on to say that he didn’t know where the substance came from and that, even though he would have liked more time to fight the suspension, he decided it was best to drop the appeal. He kept going, “”You know what I mean? It’s hard to know what you can eat or do when you don’t have control over what goes through a conveyor belt or how things are made.” “So it’s clear that I think rules should change. But, like I said, that stuff will work itself out, and I’ve never taken anything. I barely take vitamins.”
On October 28, 2021, in Glendale, Arizona, DeAndre Hopkins, number 10, of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines as his team plays the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium. Green Bay won 24-21.
Hopkins can play in preseason games and go to training camp as extra things to do. After the ban is over, he can join the team for the games. The NFL star was signed by the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. He has already been a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro wide receiver five times. In his first year with the Cardinals, he played in all 16 games and was chosen for a Pro Bowl. He has 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns on his record, but because of injuries, he could only play in 10 games in 2021. Even so, he caught 42 passes for 572 yards and scored eight touchdowns to add to his record.