Report: Burfict suspended for first four games

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is officially suspended for the first four games of the NFL season for a failed drug test in December, according to multiple reports.

Burfict was reportedly appealing the violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy on the basis that he was on prescribed medications for a concussion and a shoulder injury and the test was done after he had been ruled out for the season.

Burfict can still report to offseason activities, training camp and preseason games, but will be suspended without pay once the season starts.

There was talk that the Bengals could void Burfict's contract if the suspension was upheld, but team brass has given every indication they expect him on the field this season.

"We were aware of (the suspension) since the end of the season so whatever happens, happens. It doesn't hold us back," Coach Marvin Lewis told The Enquirer in March. "We're going to miss a player, likely, for a few weeks, but there's nothing we can do about it. That's the way it goes. You've got to do things within the scope of what the players are asked to do all the time, and that's important. Just gotta do it the right way."

At the time of the failed test, Burfict was on prescription medication for a concussion he suffered on a hit by Pittsburgh wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in early December and for a sprained AC joint in his shoulder three weeks later.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, since the test in question happened on Dec. 27 and after Burfict was already ruled out for the season, the 27-year-old's argument was that he could not have taken a substance with the aim of enhancing his performance when he wasn't even playing.

Burfict has twice before been suspended, though both of those stemmed from illegal hits and repeated violations of safety rules. According to ESPN, he has also paid more than $300,000 in fines -- 11 total -- in his career.

--Field Level Media