The NFL announced Monday that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had been suspended for six games for violating the league's guidelines on performance-enhancing drugs.
According to an NFL statement obtained by Fox News Digital, the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver has been suspended "without pay for the first six games of the 2022 regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances."
Hopkins' brand manager, Doug Sanders, informed ESPN's Adam Schefter in a text message that a November test detected "trace elements of a banned substance," but that tests the month before and after were negative.
Subsequently, the athlete posted his reaction to the suspension on Twitter, saying that he was "confused and shocked."
"I am very mindful of what I put in my body and have always taken a holistic approach, so I am working with my team to investigate how this could've happened," Hopkins said.
"But even as careful as I have been, clearly I wasn't careful enough. For that, I apologize to Cardinals fans, my teammates, and the entire Cardinals organization. I never want to let my team down. I fully intend to get to the bottom of this. As soon as I have more information I will share it," he added in his tweet.
The punishment comes only four days after the Cardinals sold their first-round selection pick in 2022 to the Baltimore Ravens for wide receiver Marquise Brown, per ESPN.
Though, Hopkins will be permitted to play in the preseason and train with the squad until the start of the regular season.
Hopkins is a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and three-time All-Pro. He'll be in his third season with the Cardinals after being acquired from the Houston Texans in a blockbuster 2020 deal.
Hampered By Injuries
Hopkins missed three games with a hamstring injury in the middle of last season and the final four games of the regular season, as well as Arizona's wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, after sustaining an MCL injury on Monday Night Football in Week 14.
In December, the knee was surgically reconstructed. The wide receiver remarked on SiriusXM NFL Radio in February that his rehab was going well and that he was ahead of schedule.
Hopkins ended with 572 yards and eight touchdowns on 42 catches, down from 1,407 yards the year before. Arizona went 3-4 in the regular season without Hopkins and then got blown out in the playoffs, falling 34-11 to the Rams.
Hopkins was as good as he had been in the past, if not better, before his injuries in 2021. Through Week 8, he had a greater catch rate, yards per target, and yards after the catch per reception. He dropped from 2.1 yards per route in his first eight seasons to 2.0 last season.
Cardinals Gets "Hollywood" Brown
On Thursday, the team acquired Marquise "Hollywood" Brown from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick in the NFL draft, as per a CBS Sports report. Last season, Brown had over 1,000 receiving yards on 91 catches and six touchdowns.
The 2022 NFL schedule will be released on May 12. Hopkins will be eligible to return to Arizona after Week 6.
