Brand manager for DeAndre Hopkins releases statement on suspension

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for six games on Monday afternoon for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy. After missing the latter stages of last year due to an injury, head coach Kliff Kingsbury will continue to be without his star pass-catcher entering 2022.

The brand manager for Hopkins, Doug Sanders, released a statement on the situation by sending a text to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sanders said everyone involved with the wide receiver is “shocked” by the positive drug test and will be looking to prove Hopkins did not take a banned substance.

“Today the NFL announced their decision to suspend DeAndre Hopkins as a result of a November drug test that came back with trace elements of banned substances,” Sanders said. “DeAndre and everyone who works with him is completely shocked by this finding because he is extremely diligent about what he puts in his body.

“His October and December tests were negative and we were investigating how the November test came back positive. DeAndre is committed to demonstrating that he did not knowingly take a banned substance. He has never tested positive throughout his 10-year career. We’re currently testing every product he used to figure out how this could have happened and will release any new information as we have it.”

More on DeAndre Hopkins, six-game suspension

As there is with every decision within the NFL, Hopkins could have appealed the suspension and tried to reduce the number of games. However, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he has decided against doing so and Hopkins will accept his six-game suspension.

“#AZCardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins withdrew his appeal, source said,” Rapoport said via Twitter. “So, now official: Hopkins is suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2022 regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.”

Since Hopkins arrived in Arizona, he has caught 157 passes for 1,979 yards and 17 touchdowns. Widely regarded as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL, a major hole will be in the middle of the Cardinals’ offense.

Arizona will be hoping once Hopkins serves his suspension and returns better than ever. Murray will now have him and Brown to throw at, creating one of the league’s top wide receiving cores. Kingsbury knows how to get points on the board and the job becomes that much easier with the weapons he has at his disposal.