Eagles' Lane Johnson apologizes as suspension announced
The Philadelphia Eaglesannounced the four-game suspension of offensive tackle Lane Johnson on Wednesday. The suspension comes after Johnson violated the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
News of Johnson's suspension was originally reported on June 30, but hadn't been made official yet.
In a statement released by the team, Johnson explained the circumstances surrounding his suspension and apologized to the team and fans:
In April while training, I mistakenly and foolishly put a prescribed medication in my body to help with a medical issue. I mistakenly failed to clear it with Eagles trainers and check the NFL list of banned substances. I am extremely sorry for this mistake and I will learn from it and be smarter in the future.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to Mr. Lurie, Howie Roseman, Coach Kelly and his staff, my teammates and our amazing Philadelphia Eagles fans. This will be very hard on me to not be battling with my teammates for four games - but I will be ready and better than ever when I return."
Johnson will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 29, a day after the Eagles game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the meantime, he is allowed to participate in training camp and all preseason practices and games.
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The 24-year-old started all 16 games for Philly last season.
- Molly Geary
