Mark Sanchez has confirmed that he is suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, but he denies knowingly using such substances.
Sanchez released a statement saying he thinks a supplement he took was contaminated with a banned substance.
“The NFL has informed me that I have tested positive for a substance on the banned substance list,” Sanchez wrote. “I was blindsided by the news and I want to say unequivocally that I have never cheated or attempted to gain a competitive advantage by using a banned performance enhancing substance. During the past 9 years as an NFL player I have been subject to 73 drug tests — an average of over 8 tests per season — and all but one have been clean. I have taken the same regimen of supplements for the past five years without any issues. The timing and results of my tests establish circumstances of unknowing supplement contamination, not the use of performance enhancing substances.”
Sanchez, who spent last season with the Bears and was last a starter in 2015 with the Eagles, is currently a free agent. He may still sign with an NFL team this offseason, but he won’t be eligible to appear in the first four games of the season.