Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins suspended 6 games for using banned substance

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- The Arizona Cardinals will have to make do without one of their top players for six games next season. ESPN reporter Adam Schefter tweeted that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended six games for a violation of the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy.

Hopkins later tweeted on Monday evening that he was “confused and shocked” when he found out he tested positive for a banned substance. He said he’s working with his team to investigate how it could have happened but admitted he wasn’t “careful enough.” “For that, I apologize to Cardinals fans, my teammates, and the entire Cardinals organization. I never want to let my team down,” he said in the statement.

Hopkins is entering his third year with the Cardinals. He missed seven games last season due to injury and posted career-lows with 42 catches for 572 yards. In his first season with the team in 2020, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career after posting 115 receptions for 1,407 yards.

The Cardinals bolstered their wide receiver position during the NFL Draft as they traded their first-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The 24-year-old Brown, a former first-round pick, is coming off a 1,000-yard season in 2021, and he is a former college teammate of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. Over the offseason, Arizona lost wide receiver Christian Kirk, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

An NFL spokesperson released the following statement about Hopkin’s suspension:

DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals has been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2022 regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Hopkins is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games. He will be allowed to return to the Cardinals’ active roster following the team’s sixth regular-season game.

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