Tate gets hit with four-game suspension
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate has been suspended for four games for using a drug prescribed for fertility planning.
The 10-year veteran, who signed with the Giants in March as a free agent, announced the suspension in a Twitter post Saturday. He said he plans to appeal the violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers and that he would have no further comment.
The NFL has not announced the suspension and it had no comment, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Giants coach Pat Shurmur declined comment, saying the team will see what happens.
Tate, 30, can practice in training camp but will not be able to play in the first four regular-season games unless his suspension is overturned. That rarely happens.
In his statement, Tate said he and his wife met with a fertility specialist in April. He took a prescribed drug and learned shortly after an ingredient was a substance banned by the league. Tate said he reported the problem to the independent administrator of the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances and alerted his coaches and general manager.
Tate is confident his appeal has merit. He said he has never violated the league’s rules on banned substances and the treatment will have no effect on the 2019 season.
Cincinnati’s Green injured: Receiver A.J. Green hurt his left ankle or foot near the end of the Bengals’ first practice and had to be carted off the field, an early setback for a team trying to escape last place.
Green appeared to land awkwardly on the foot while trying to catch a pass during a 7-on-7 drill. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick bumped him while knocking the ball away. Green limped a few steps, went to his knees on the sideline, took a few more labored steps and angrily threw his mouth guard to the ground. He was carted off the field for more exams.
Coach Zac Taylor had no information about the severity of the injury. Green missed half of last season with a toe injury on the other foot.
Lions cut Riddick: The Detroit Lions are moving on from one of their mainstays in the backfield, releasing running back Theo Riddick after six seasons with the team.
Replacing Riddick will be an interesting challenge, however. He was second on the Lions last season with 61 receptions. He also rushed for 171 yards on 40 carries.
Riddick, 28, has been a valuable pass catcher. He has 285 receptions in his career, including a career-high 80 in 2015.
But rookie Kerryon Johnson boosted the Lions’ running game last year, and Detroit also added C.J. Anderson to the backfield this offseason.