Last month, Patrick Peterson made headlines due to rumors that the Arizona Cardinals had “p*ssed him off” so much that he was demanding a trade. As reported by The Inquisitr , the entire situation ended up working itself out, but now, he’s back in the spotlight — and not for a good reason. The All-Pro cornerback has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
NFL.com reported that word broke early on Thursday of Peterson’s impending suspension, and the news was confirmed before the day was out. The NFL handed down the six-game suspension to Peterson, and he will start 2019 on the bench for his reported use of PEDs.
The 28-year-old cornerback said that he has known about the failed test “for months.” When the news finally came out publicly, Peterson said that he was not happy about it all, but that he was “relieved that it’s out.”
“Definitely, definitely sorry [for] what broke out today, but for the most part, I think you guys understand my character and also understand my commitment on and off the field, and also to my teammates, and also to the Arizona Cardinals organization. That’s why this is apparently very, very hard for me because I’ve obviously never been in this situation before and never wanted to have my name attached to anything like this. But I’m looking to move forward and put this behind me.”
Despite rumors circulating over the past few months, Peterson said that he has a “great” relationship with the Arizona Cardinals organization. He expressed sorrow and remorse for his actions, but also exhibited some relief that the suspension was brought down to six games from the originally reported eight.
Actually six games. Patrick Peterson dropped his appeal. Six games. https://t.co/8eSyrkIfSh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2019
The suspension for Patrick Peterson will break a pretty impressive streak he had going, as he had made the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight NFL seasons. He will not be eligible for the Pro Bowl this season due to the suspension — and he’s going to miss games against the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons.
Peterson’s first game back could be against the New York Giants.
Patrick Peterson, Now Suspended For PEDs, Is Getting Roasted For Old Take About Tom Brady ‘Disrespecting’ The Game https://t.co/UciEMCZo2s
— BroBible (@BroBible) May 17, 2019
As Patrick Peterson said, he knew that he failed the test months ago, and figured that a suspension from the NFL was eventually coming. The Arizona Cardinals also prepared for this eventuality, as they drafted Washington cornerback Byron Murphy with the 33rd overall pick in last month’s NFL Draft. Right now, they are preparing for almost half a season without their All-Pro, but adjustments will need to be made.