Robert Mathis, their best defender last season, will be suspended four games for testing positive for a
performance-enhancing drug, both the team and NFL announced Friday.
The positive test came as a result of the use of fertility drugs, but Mathis said he failed to check with the NFL or NFLPA to see if the substance was on the suspended list, Mathis said, via statement to NFL.com.Mathis, who had 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles in 2013 and was the runner-up to the Carolina Panthers' Luke Kuechly for Defensive Player of the Year, had twins with his wife in 2012. The couple is expecting another child this year, which appears to back up Mathis' story a bit.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the drug in question is believed to be Clomid — which, per webmd.com, "may be used to treat low sperm counts" It can be prescribed to both women and men.Mathis is not the first athlete to be suspended for use of male fertility drugs. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball in 2010.
Per Denise White, Mathis' spokesperson, Mathis began taking the drug in November and stopped when he found out his wife was pregnant. Mathis was told about his positive test and suspension this year, and his appeal was lost.
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