Second Patriots starter gets hit with four-game suspension
The Patriots defense will be missing one its key starters for the first four games of the season
By
John Breech
•
1 min read
If Tom Brady needs someone to hang out with during his four-game suspension, he might want to give Rob Ninkovich a call.
The Patriots' pass rusher confirmed to ESPN.com on Friday that he's been hit with a four-game suspension after he recently tested positive for a banned substance.
Generally, when you hear about a player being suspended before the NFL officially announces the suspension, it's because the punishment was leaked to the media. In this case, no one had to leak Ninkovich's punishment because he wanted to be the one to let everyone know that he was suspended.
"Few things are more important to me than my name and reputation. This might call that into question for some, which has me heartbroken," Ninkovich told ESPN.com. "I don't want to cut any corners. I want to do things the right way, with high integrity, and that's what I have always wanted to stand for."
According to Ninkovich, he had no idea that he had ingested a banned substance.
"Any supplement I've ever used was bought at a store. I was unaware something I bought had a substance in it that would give me a positive test because it wasn't listed [as an ingredient]," Ninkovich said. "One thing I have learned is that if a supplement is not NSF certified there are no regulations that ensure that what is on the label is 100 percent accurate. That is a hard lesson for me to learn at this stage in my career, but I take responsibility for it. It's a mistake I made and it hurts that I won't be there for my teammates."
The good news for the Patriots is that they've basically been planning for Ninkovich's suspension without even realizing it.
Ninkovich suffered a torn triceps muscle on Aug. 9, an injury that was expected to keep him out for 4-6 weeks, which means that even if he hadn't been suspended, he probably wouldn't have been playing until Week 3 at the earliest.
With Ninkovich out, Chris Long is expected to start in his place. Over the past five seasons, Ninkovich has started in all 80 regular season games that the Patriots have played.
Both Ninkovich and Brady will revert to the suspension list when the final cut deadline takes effect at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. Both players will be allowed to rejoin the team on Oct. 3.
