While Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and the Biogenesis scandal continues to overshadow anything that happens on a baseball diamond, the NFL has quietly suspended Baltimore Ravens cornerback Asa Jackson eight games for violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy.
This suspension is Jackson's second in nine months, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh did not leap to his defensive back's defense, seeming more concerned about his weakened depth chart at corner.
"My reaction to that is that you've got to follow the rules," Harbaugh said. "If you don't follow the rules, you get suspended. That's a fair rule, there's no place for that, and he's getting what he deserves. As far as what it does to our corner depth, that's one less corner that we have. We'll be missing Asa those first eight weeks. Whether he'll back after that, time will tell."
Jackson is denying that he cheated, taking to Twitter to blame a prescribed attention deficit disorder medication for triggering the positive sample. He also released a statement to The Baltimore Sun:
"I was diagnosed with a condition that can be treated with a medication allowed under the NFL/NFLPA policy after a player obtains a therapeutic use exemption. I now have the required approval, but the positive test occurred before it was approved. The policy is very strict, so I have chosen to be immediately accountable.
I sincerely apologize to my teammates, coaches, and Ravens fans. I look forward to working hard in training camp and preseason, training hard during the discipline period and contributing to the team immediately upon my return."
Jackson is permitted to play in all Baltimore's preseason games, but must disappear for the regular season. Jackson was a fifth-round pick out of Cal Poly in 2012, and appeared in three games last season for the Ravens.
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