Current AFC Defensive Player of the Year and former Alabama A&M Bulldog Robert Mathis has been suspended the first four games of the 2014 season for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.
Mathis, who led the NFL in sacks in 2013, will return to the Indianapolis Colts roster Sept. 28.
“We have learned that Robert Mathis will be required to serve a four game suspension under the League’s policy on prohibited substances,” a statement from the Colts read. “We recognize the extreme seriousness of this matter and will honor the confidentiality requirements of the League’s program. We nevertheless wish to assure Robert and our fans that he remains an honored and cherished member of the Colts family and that we support him as he deals with this difficult challenge.”
Mathis explained that the positive test stemmed from fertility treatments he sought last season.
“It is difficult for me to address the circumstances surrounding this suspension because they involve very personal medical information, but it is very important to me that my fans, particularly young people, understand what did and did not occur. Like many families, my wife and I faced fertility challenges, and I sought medical assistance. I specifically asked the doctor if the medication he prescribed for me would present a problem for NFL drug testing, and unfortunately, he incorrectly told me that it would not. I made the mistake of not calling the NFL or NFLPA to double check before I took the medication at the end of last season.
