Chris Long

Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich suspended four games for positive banned substance test

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:24 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich had been progressing in a return from a triceps injury suffered Aug. 9, but he’ll miss the first four games of the season anyway now that he’s been suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.

Ninkovich, 32, has started all 16 games for New England in every season since 2010 and told ESPN on Friday that the violation was accidental:

"Few things are more important to me than my name and reputation. This might call that into question for some, which has me heartbroken. I don't want to cut any corners. I want to do things the right way, with high integrity, and that's what I have always wanted to stand for.”

The actual suspension had only been reported and wasn’t yet announced by the NFL, but Ninkovich wanted to address it head on:

"Any supplement I've ever used was bought at a store. I was unaware something I bought had a substance in it that would give me a positive test because it wasn't listed [as an ingredient].

“One thing I have learned is that if a supplement is not NSF certified there are no regulations that ensure that what is on the label is 100 percent accurate. That is a hard lesson for me to learn at this stage in my career, but I take responsibility for it. It's a mistake I made and it hurts that I won't be there for my teammates."

Ninkovich has had at least 6.5 sacks in each of the past five seasons, and the Patriots will lean on newly signed Chris Long at defensive end in his absence. Long averaged more than 10 sacks a season from 2010 through 2013 but had just four total sacks in his last two years with the Rams.

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