A Guide to All the Currently Suspended NFL Players

Of the major sports leagues, perhaps none is more image-conscious than the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell takes the behavior of his players very seriously, and has been known to take dramatic steps to ensure that he protects the brand of the league. This has meant some pretty serious discipline handed out to players who run afoul of the league’s rules, regardless of their stature within the game.

Whether it’s a perennial Pro Bowler like Wes Welker and Robert Mathis or a 53rd guy like Rokevious Watkins and Marlon Moore, all players are held to the same rules and standards. While plenty can be made about the relative fairness of the NFL’s rules (how is domestic abuse exactly half as bad as inhaling a little marijuana?), it’s also true that the league does a good job enforcing the policies in place. Criticism leveled at Goodell for being a bit overzealous in his punishments for players may be somewhat founded, but his iron fist has also helped mold the league into a much better behaved one overall.

With the 2014 NFL season kicking off today and fans finally getting to turn their focus to actual football being played on the field, it’s only fair that we acknowledge those who aren’t out there. Here’s A Guide to All the Currently Suspended NFL Players.

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Position: Safety
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: He had been improving steadily and was the No. 2 safety on the depth chart, and with Dallas' thin secondary this is a tough loss.

Hamilton was suspended on August 28 because he missed a urine test during OTAs, a violation of the league's substance abuse program rules.

Position: OL
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: He was favored to be the starting right tackle, and had played in all 32 games since being drafted in 2012. A line light on depth gets even lighter.

Stephenson was hit with a suspension on August 22 for PED use, although he said in a statement that it was mere “medication that requires a therapeutic use exemption,” which he failed to get.

Position: WR
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Offense: Marijuana arrest
Suspension length: 1 game
Team impact: Despite struggling last year and during preseason, Bowe figures to be a big part of the Chiefs' passing attack.

Back on November 10, 2013, Bowe was arrested for speeding and marijuana possession. The league finally handed down its punishment on August 15.

Position: DE
Team: Free Agent
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

Then a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Nealy was suspended on July 11 following a positive test for a banned stimulant that was contained in a nutritional supplement. The Vikings released him just under two weeks later, and he has yet to find another team.

Position: Safety
Team: Miami Dolphins
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: Jones was supposed to be the starter, and the Dolphins have to face two very good offenses in New England and Kansas City over their first four games.

After finishing second on the Dolphins in tackles last season, Jones was suspended on August 8 after testing positive for PEDs. Jones says the test was due to taking supplement he did not research sufficiently.

Position: OL
Team: New York Giants
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: A reserve guard and center, Herman was not expected to start or make much of an impact this season despite a strong training camp.

Herman was suspended on August 8 for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy, and in a statement he explained that “I have a [therapeutic use exemption] for one medication, but not another stimulant that treats the same condition.”

Position: WR
Team: New England Patriots
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: Not expected to make a big impact in the regular season, although he was excellent in all of the Patriots' preseason games.

Tyms received his suspension on April 21, which he said was for Adderall he uses to treat his ADHD. He failed to report his prescription to the league, causing the positive test.

Position: WR
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: With Justin Blackmon already out indefinitely, the Jaguars could ill-afford to lose Sanders, who caught 51 passes in 2013.

Sanders was suspended by the NFL on July 22nd for his second substance abuse policy violation, and he subsequently took a monthlong leave of absence to receive treatment.

Position: K
Team: Denver Broncos
Offense: Violated the substance abuse policy
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: Perhaps the best kicker in the NFL, Prater will be sorely missed.

On August 24, the NFL handed down a four game ban to Prater for violating the substance abuse policy. After a DUI arrest in 2011, Prater was not allowed to drink any alcohol when “a couple beers were consumed at home while he was on vacation,” according to his lawyer.

Position: RB
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Offense: Conduct detrimental to the league
Suspension length: 2 games
Team impact: Rice had easily the worst season of his career last year, losing carries to the similarly ineffective Bernard Pierce. Perhaps missing two games will keep Rice fresher over the course of the season.

The NFL suspended Rice on July 24 after video footage emerged of him striking and dragging his unconscious fiancée out of a hotel elevator in February. His relatively minor suspension was the subject of much scrutiny and rightly caused the league to adjust their policy afterwards.

Position: TE
Team: Free Agent
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: Indefinite
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

Davis was suspended indefinitely on February 19 for what he says was taking a supplement containing a banned substance. Reports indicated that this suspension would be six games, but he then was charged with driving while intoxicated the very next day, and then this summer was arrested for domestic violence and simple assault in two separate incidents with an ex-girlfriend. The NFL has not modified his suspension, and Davis has not found a team eager to sign him.

Position: LB
Team: Free Agent
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

Knott had been expected to provide depth for the Eagles at linebacker and on special teams, but following his April 4 suspension for taking a banned substance he injured his hamstring in training camp and was released by the team on August 23.

Position: DE
Team: Free Agent
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

An undrafted free agent who spent his rookie season in 2013 on the Chargers' practice squad, Moore was claimed on Waivers by Washington this summer but was suspended on April 8. Just two weeks later, they cut him loose.

Position: DE
Team: Carolina Panthers
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: As the main backup to Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson, Alexander isn't a critical player but is definitely a guy the Panthers will not like losing.

Alexander was handed his suspension on May 2, and chose to neither fight the punishment nor disclose what it was for beyond a “banned substance.”

Position: WR
Team: St. Louis Rams
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: While he put up modest numbers last year as a rookie, a strong finish to the season meant Bailey was going to see a bigger role in the Rams' passing attack

Suspended on May 12 for taking a banned substance, Bailey promised to “bounce back” from his mistake.

Position: LB
Team: Indianapolis Colts
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: The NFL leader in sacks last season with 19.5, Mathis' absence leaves a gaping hole in the heart of the Colts' defense.

Mathis was suspended on May 16 after testing positive for Clomid, a fertility drug he was using to help he and his wife get pregnant. While it's possible to get a waiver from the NFL, he did not do so.

Position: LB
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 1 year
Team impact: A defense reeling from the loss of Darnell Dockett can ill-afford to lose another one of its leaders, and the Cardinals could be in for a rough 2014 despite a 10-win season last year.

A Pro Bowler in 2012, Washington was suspended for the year after a positive test for marijuana. He had been suspended for four games last season, and was also facing further discipline from the NFL following a May 2013 arrest for aggravated assault.

Position: Safety
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 6 games
Team impact: He'll provide depth in the secondary when he returns, but considering he didn't join the Ravens until late July when they already knew he'd be suspended, his absence should not be felt much.

After a four game suspension in 2012 for PEDs and another four gamer in 2013 for substance abuse, Hill ran afoul of the NFL's rules for a third time and was suspended on May 30. The Giants cut him loose, but he was picked up by the Ravens soon thereafter.

Position: CB
Team: New York Giants
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: A fringe candidate to make the roster after a flurry of offseason moves by the Giants, Hosley was not expected to be big contributor.

While it was not specified what the drug in question was, Hosley was suspended for the first time in his career on June 4 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Position: OT
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: After starting every single one of the Eagles' games at right tackle last year, he will be difficult to replace.

Neither Johnson nor the Eagles have said what he took that led to his June 23 suspension, with Johnson disclosing only that is was a prescribed medication that he failed to clear with the Eagles and the NFL.

Position: DE
Team: Miami Dolphins
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: The No. 3 overall pick in 2013 played very little as a rookie, but after putting on some size this offseason was projected to be the primary backup to fellow ends Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon.

Jordan put on 17 pounds of muscle over the last year, but it appears he had some help and thus was suspended on July 3 for PED usage.

Position: OL
Team: Free Agent
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

Competing for a backup spot with the Chiefs, Watkins was suspended on July 3 and released on July 28.

Position: WR
Team: Free Agent
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 1 year
Team impact: None, since he currently isn't on a team.

On July 3, Brazill was suspended for a full season for a second substance abuse violation. Eight days later, the Colts waived him and he remains a free agent.

Position: LB
Team: Buffalo Bills
Offense: Conduct detrimental to the league
Suspension length: 1 game
Team impact: Bradham had been the favorite to replace the injured Kiko Alonso in the heart of the Bills' defense, but his absence my cost him that opportunity.

After an August 2013 traffic stop in which he was cited for marijuana possession, Bradham was suspended on July 30 even though all charges were dismissed in court.

Position: CB
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: The Cowboys' thin secondary could not afford to lose Scandrick, who is one of the few guys they have (along with Brandon Carr) who can actually cover anyone.

While on vacation in Mexico this past April, Scandrick took Molly (inadvertantly, he says) and was hit with a four game suspension after losing his appeal.

Position: Safety
Team: Washington Redskins
Offense: Player safety violation
Suspension length: 2 games
Team impact: Fortunately for Washington, their first two games comes against the soft passing attacks of the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, so losing their starting safety should not make too huge an impact.

Apparently all the fines weren't enough, and after yet another helmet-to-helmet hit this preseason Meriweather was suspended on August 30.

Position: WR
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 3 games
Team impact: The presence of Greg Jennings and emergence of Cordarrelle Patterson will help mitigate Simpson's loss, but the Vikings will eagerly await his return.

Simpson lost his appeal to the NFL following a November 2013 DUI arrest, and on August 29 was served with a three game suspension.

Position: WR
Team: Cleveland Browns
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 1 year
Team impact: Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards even though he missed two games last season, and with little other depth at wide receiver, the Browns will be devastated by this loss.

Despite an appeal on the grounds that his second substance abuse positive test was the result of inadvertant second-hand smoke inhalation, Gordon's year-long suspension was upheld by the NFL on August 27.

Position: LB
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Offense: Substance abuse/Personal Conduct
Suspension length: 9 games
Team impact: With Navarro Bowman out and Ray McDonald possibly headed for a suspension of his own, the 49ers' defense would be stretched thin even with Smith. Without him, they run the risk of losing their grip on one of the top playoff seeds in the NFC.

The NFL came down hard on Smith, suspending him on August 29 for a combo-violation of the substance abuse and personal conduct policies. Smith was sentenced to 12 days in jail for weapons and DUI charges, and in April called in a bomb threat to LAX.

Position: CB
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 2 games
Team impact: A backup in the Bengals' secondary, Lewis-Harris is not expected to be a big contributor this year.

Lewis-Harris was suspended on July 30, but considering he only had one tackle and defense and four on special teams in 2013 it did not make much of a ripple across the league.

Position: WR
Team: Denver Broncos
Offense: PEDs
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: As he was for Tom Brady, Welker quickly became a security blanket for Peyton Manning last season. His ability to catch balls over the middle and get tough yards will be sorely missed.

We'll probably never know what happened that fateful day at the Kentucky Derby, but whether Welker's drink was spiked or not, the NFL suspended him on September 2 all the same.

Position: CB
Team: New England Patriots
Offense: Substance abuse
Suspension length: 4 games
Team impact: The Patriots knew about the suspension when they signed him, so were able to plan around it. After a solid preseason, he'll make a big impact when he comes back.

Originally suspended for a year in November for a third marijuana offense, Browner missed the Seahawks' Super Bowl run but won his appeal and had his suspension reduced on March 4.

Position: DT
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Offense: Intoxication manslaughter conviction
Suspension length: 10 games
Team impact: Having played without him all of last season, the Cowboys are very much prepared to not have Brent in the lineup.

Brent has not played an NFL down since his December 2012 drunk driving accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown, and upon being reinstated by the NFL on September 2 was simultaneously handed a 10 game suspension.

Position: WR
Team: Cleveland Browns
Offense: Unspecified
Suspension length: 1 game
Team impact: Already thin at wide receiver, the Browns are really stretching if they think Moore (seven receptions in 2013) is going to help them.

The NFL suspended Moore on May 21 for an unspecified reason, and on July 28 the Browns signed him to add depth to their wide receiver position.