National Football League

Vikings OL Love gets 4-game ban

Published Aug. 1, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle DeMarcus Love has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs.

The league announced the punishment Thursday. Love will remain eligible to practice this month and play in exhibition games, but once the regular season starts he must be away from his team through Sept. 29, when the Vikings play Pittsburgh in London. Love might not make the team, though. He has never played in a regular season NFL game.

Love was inactive for all 16 games of his rookie season after being drafted in the sixth round out of Arkansas. Last year, he was on injured reserve with a damaged pectoral muscle.