Sports

NFL Star: I Have No Idea How a Banned Substance Got in My Body

CLUELESS

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener expressed shock over his own positive test.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener (14) looks on against the Houston Texans
Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports via Reuters

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Jake Haener says he has no idea how a banned substance got into his body after he tested positive and was subsequently suspended without pay for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy. On Wednesday, Haener took to Instagram to announce his surprise over the positive test, claiming the unnamed drug is not an ingredient in the supplements and prescribed medication he consumes. “I recently learned that I tested positive for a substance banned by the NFL earlier this summer," he wrote. “I still do not know how the substance got into my body, as none of my supplements or prescribed medications contain the banned ingredient.“Haener said he would “never knowingly cheat the game that I love,” but took “full responsibility for the failed test.” He apologized to the Saints, “my friends and my family for any distraction this suspension may cause.” As part of his punishment, Haener will be banned from first six games of the season and cannot return until Oct. 16. He will also forfeit $250,000 of his $750,000 base salary this year.

Read it at ESPN