National Football League
NFL suspends 3 for drug violations
National Football League

NFL suspends 3 for drug violations

Published Dec. 6, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

The NFL has announced the four-game suspensions for Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Seattle Seahawks rookie guard John Moffitt has also been suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

The league said Tuesday that Davis and Williams are suspended without pay and will be eligible to return to Washington's active roster on Jan. 2 — the day after the final regular season game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The suspensions had been expected. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday that Davis and Williams were expecting to be penalized after failing multiple drug tests. The person spoke anonymously because of the confidential nature of the league's drug testing policy.

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Moffitt will serve his suspension beginning immediately, even though he is currently on injured reserve and out for the season with a right knee injury.

Moffitt's agent, Michael George, said that Moffitt's suspension was because of his use of a prescription drug used to treat hyperactivity. George said that Adderall — the drug that Moffitt used — is banned under the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, unless a player has pre-approval from the league. Moffitt lacked that league approval, resulting in the suspension.

George said there are no plans to appeal the suspension because of the strict nature of the league's policy. George said any appeal could potentially carry the suspension over into next season and that it was best to serve the suspension now since Moffitt was already done for the year because of the knee injury. Moffitt underwent surgery to repair the ligaments just before Thanksgiving.

George emphasized the suspension was not for a substance like steroids.

''(The Seahawks) know that it wasn't for anything like people would be thinking,'' George said.

Moffitt was Seattle's third-round pick in last April's draft out of Wisconsin and started the first nine games at right guard before suffering a pair of torn knee ligaments in Seattle's Week 10 win over Baltimore. He's one of three starting offensive linemen currently on injured reserve for the Seahawks, along with right tackle James Carpenter and left tackle Russell Okung.

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