Ravens rookie cornerback Asa Jackson is the latest NFL player to get a four-game suspension for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The team confirmed Jackson’s suspension on Tuesday afternoon and issued a statement that didn’t say much of anything.
“We are aware of this matter, but due to the confidentiality of the program we are unable to provide additional comment on the situation,” the statement said.
Jackson was a fifth-round draft pick of the Ravens this year who has spent most of the season on the bench but did play in the last three games. His absence will further deplete an already thin secondary in Baltimore. The suspension will continue into the playoffs, so if the Ravens make it, Jackson will be eligible to return following Baltimore’s first postseason game.
Jackson hasn’t issued a public comment, but based on recent history, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear him say he tested positive for the prescription drug Adderall. One of the noteworthy aspects of the NFL’s epidemic of Adderall suspensions has been that it seems to be a particularly popular prescription drug with defensive backs: Seattle’s Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, Washington’s Cedric Griffin, the Giants’ Tyler Sash and Will Hill, Tampa Bay’s Eric Wright and Aqib Talib, Cleveland’s Joe Haden, have all blamed Adderall for their positive PED tests.