National Football League

Report: Boxing panel clears Zbikowski

Published Apr. 28, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski has been cleared by the Chickasaw Nation Boxing Commission after he appealed a suspension following a failed drug test, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

The safety-turned-boxer appealed the 45-day suspension handed down by the commission after he tested positive for marijuana following his latest foray into the ring.

Zbikowski, 25, had apparently tested positive for the drug along with five other participants on Saturday's card at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., but a second test conducted in Chicago came back negative.

"We're grateful the Chickasaw Nation acted in such an expeditious manner," Zbikowski's boxing coach and manager Mike Joyce said, according to the Sun-Times. "We knew Tommy has never used any illegal or banned substances."

The negative result from the "more in-depth test" was sent to the commission Tuesday, according to Zbikowski's attorney.

Joyce said earlier he had never seen testing similar to the one conducted prior to Zbikowski's fight.

"They had you pee in a cup and put a strip of something in there. I've never seen results where you get them the day of the fight," Joyce said. "It was like a home pregnancy test or something."

Joyce added that Zbikowski has "taken all sorts of tests for the NFL and he's never tested positive — ever."

Zbikowski wasted little time Saturday improving his professional boxing record to 4-0 with a first-round technical knockout of Blake Warner.

Zbikowski, who is a restricted free agent, has been able to box because the NFL lockout has prohibited him from completing a new contract with the Ravens. Zbikowski is reportedly looking to sign a deal that would allow him to continue his offseason pursuits in the ring.