Saints’ Onyemata suspended for six games after failed test
Saints starting defensive tackle David Onyemata has been given a six-game suspension after being notified by the NFL he tested positive for a banned substance and hand the player said in a social media post Friday morning.
In a statement from the NFL, the league said Onyemata had been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2021 regular season for violating the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances. He will be able to participate in all preseason practices and games.
The statement said Onyemata will be eligible to return to the Saints’ active roster on Oct. 26, following the team’s Week 7 game at Seattle.
Onyemata said on social media that he suspected the test result stemmed from his use of a supplement that he mistakenly believed was permissible under league rules.
“While I was certainly surprised and disappointed with this news, I am responsible for what I put in my body,” Onyemata wrote on his verified Instagram account. “As I have never
knowingly taken anything that could cause a positive test, we are currently in the process of testing the supplements I was taking at the time of the test.
In 2019, Onyemata was suspended one game in connection with a misdemeanor marijuana citation.
The Saints did not immediately comment on the test result or its implications for the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Onyemata, who had a career-best 6 1/2 sacks last season, his fifth in the NFL.
The Saints allowed one of their top interior lineman, Sheldon Rankins, to leave in free agency this offseason, and traded another, Malcom Brown, to Jacksonville. Now Onyemata’s suspension could result in New
Orleans opening the regular season against Green Bay on Sept. 12 without any of their top three interior defensive linemen from last season.
Packers
Playing home games without spectators because of the pandemic caused the Green Bay Packers’ operating revenues to drop nearly 27% during the most recent fiscal year.
The Packers reported $409.8 million in expenses and $371.1 million in revenues. That’s the first time since 2000 the team spent more money than it brought in.
The team had a record $506.9 million in revenues a year earlier.
“The pandemic had a significant impact on our finances. But that said, I think the Packers remain in a very strong position financially,” Packers CEO/president Mark Murphy said at a Friday news conference.
Green Bay did not have paying spectators at Lambeau Field until the playoffs, when it had limited crowds at two games.
The Packers expect to fill Lambeau Field’s entire seating capacity for games this season and also plan to welcome fans to training camp later this month.