The NFL announced Monday that the Cardinals asteroid receiver has suspended six games for violating NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The suspension means Hopkins will be out until mid-October. The ban will keep him off the field at least until Week 7 and could keep him out until Week 8 if the cards say goodbye during the first six weeks of the season. Later Monday, DeAndre Hopkins’s director of brand Doug Sanders issued the following statement on the suspension (via ESPN): The NFL today announced its decision to suspend DeAndre Hopkins as a result of a drug test in November that returned with trace elements of a banned substance. October and December tests were negative and we’re investigating how the November test was positive DeAndre vows to prove he did not know he was taking a banned substance.He never tested positive in his 10th year We are currently testing any product he used to understand how this could happen and we will post any new information as soon as we have it. “ If the Cardinals knew this was coming, that would explain why they did the amazing exchange for Marquise Brown during the draft. On the first night of the NFL 2022 draft, the Cardinals sent the 23rd overall pick to Baltimore in exchange for Brown and the 100th overall option later used to select Cincinnati’s Myjai Sanders defensive line. The loss of Hopkins is disastrous for the Cardinals’ attack which always seems to be difficult when they are out. In 2021, the asteroid receiver of the Cards lost a total of seven games due to injury and in those games the Cardinals scored just 3-4. To put that in perspective, Arizona went 8-2 in the 10 games Hopkins played last season. Despite missing seven games in 2021 due to a knee injury and a separate hind thigh injury, Hopkins continued to lead the team with eight touchdowns, three more than any other receiver. The 29-year-old, who turns 30 in June, also finished the season with 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns. Select the checkbox to confirm that you want to sign up.
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The five-time Pro Bowler has been a huge part of the Cardinals’ attack since arriving in Arizona after a trade before the 2020 season. In his solitary full season with the Cardinals, Hopkins caught 115 passes for 1407 yards. His total receptions in 2020 ranked second in the NFL, while all of his matches finished third that year. With Hopkins out for the first six games, this will raise the heat on the other Cardinals receiver for production. The Cardinals will need players like Hollywood Brown, AJ Green and Rondale Moore to grow up while Hopkins is out. Another recipient, Andy Isabella, was reportedly on the block before the draft, but the Cardinals may change their minds about it now that Hopkins is out. Arizona’s top scorer since last season, Christian Kirk, is no longer on the team after signing a four-year deal with the Jaguars in March. Despite the suspension, Hopkins is eligible to participate in all training and preparation games. The Cardinals will find out exactly which games the Hopkins will miss when the NFL schedule is released on May 12.
