Tate loses appeal of 4-game suspension
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate has had the appeal of his four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers turned down.
The decision by an independent arbiter was announced yesterday and means the 10-year-veteran will miss the first four games of the regular season, starting with Dallas on Sept. 8.
Tate, who signed a $37.5 million contract as a free agent with the Giants in March, announced the suspension in a Twitter post on July 27. He said he intended to appeal it and felt his case had merit because he was using a fertility drug prescribed by a doctor.
The appeal was heard by a member of an independent appeals panel in New York last week.
The NFL allows players to use fertility drugs but they must obtain a therapeutic use exemption prior to using them. The league has insisted players are responsible for the drugs and supplements they take and advises them to talk to team trainers and medical personnel before using them.
Certain fertility drugs can help athletes boost performance or mask doping. Some fertility drugs bought on line are not approved by the FDA.
Tate will be eligible to practice with the team until the start of the regular season.
In his tweet last month, Tate said he has never violated the league’s rules on banned substances. He noted the treatment was for a fertility issue and it will have no effect on this season.
In other Giants news, owner John Mara would be perfectly happy if two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning has a great season and heir apparent and first-round draft pick Daniel Jones never takes a snap.
“In an ideal world you would like to see that,” Mara said, noting that Jones not playing would mean the Gians are having a great season. “At the end of the day, it is going to be a decision by the head coach as to when or if Daniel ends up playing.”
Jets make moves
The New York Jets have signed veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper for depth in their depleted secondary.
The team also announced it waived tight end Nick Truesdell to make room on the roster.
Cooper has played in 74 games, including 28 starts, in stints with San Francisco, Kansas City, Arizona, Chicago and Detroit in six NFL seasons. He was released by the Lions on Monday.
The 2013 seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers has seven career interceptions with 36 passes defensed and 154 tackles.
Peterson mum on $
Adrian Peterson says he won’t be discussing financial woes that came to light over the summer.
The Washington Redskins running back conducted his first interview of training camp and declined to answer a question about pending legal action against him. Peterson was sued last month over failure to fully repay a $5.2 million loan and was ordered to pay $2.45 million to another creditor.
“I won’t be addressing none of that,” Peterson said. “I thought maybe you would figure that I wouldn’t. But I knew someone would probably ask, so I’m not going to be talking about none of that. You guys got questions pertaining to that, I won’t be answering it.”
Lawyer Chase Carlson said in a statement last month that “the truth behind Adrian Peterson’s current financial situation is more than is being reported at this time.”
“This is yet another situation of an athlete trusting the wrong people and being taken advantage of by those he trusted,” Carlson said. “Adrian and his family look forward to sharing further details when appropriate.”
Peterson had been off-limits to reporters since the start of camp because of the off-field situation.
The 34-year-old is entering the first season of a $5.03 million, two-year contract to stay with the Redskins after joining them a year ago.
Rodgers will play
For the first time this preseason, the world will have the opportunity to see what Aaron Rodgers looks like in Matt LaFleur’s offense.
The Packers’ first-year coach said that Rodgers and the rest of the first-team offense and first-team defense will play for about “a quarter or so” tomorrow night when Green Bay heads to Baltimore to face the Ravens in their second preseason game.
“We’re always fluid with that, dependent upon how the game goes and how much time they have,” LaFleur said. “But everybody should be prepared to play about a quarter or so.”