Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing substances policy, league sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The suspension is now under appeal. 
Edelman, 32, missed all of the 2017 season with a torn ACL. Barring a successful appeal, he’ll have to wait a bit longer to make his return to the field.
Winning an appeal for a PED suspension is tough, but it’s not unprecedented. In 2012, cornerback Richard Sherman made his case and had his four-game ban overturned.
Over the past four seasons, Edelman has averaged 133 targets, 89 receptions, 956 yards, and five touchdowns per year. He was a major part of the Super Bowl-winning squad in 2016, hauling in 98 catches for a career-high 1,106 yards. He was also a force in the postseason, collecting another 21 catches for 342 yards and one touchdown during the Patriots’ three-game run.
The good news for the Patriots is they have a number of options at wide receiver beyond Edelman. The team figures to lean on Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews, and Phillip Dorsett more heavily to start the year while return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson could also see some snaps on offense. Edelman’s ban could improve the odds of others such as sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios, Malcolm Mitchell, and Riley McCarron as they push to make the final cut. Still, this is a definite setback for the Patriots, who already saw Danny Amendola sign with the rival Dolphins.
Edelman is under contract with the club for one more year, per the terms of the two-year, $11MM extension he signed in 2017. If the suspension holds up, he’ll lose out on more than $470K in base pay while missing games against the Texans, Jaguars, Lions, and Dolphins.
This is why it doesn’t pay to use PEDs to help speed up injury recovery. you always get caught
It’s likely the opposite. I don’t think we can comprehend the amount that don’t get caught.
man they gotta do everything to keep the Patriots from winning
Yah…. cuz Julian accidentally did PEDs
Once a cheater, always a cheater! It’s a culture!
Right?
Oh look, Patriots cheating again. Never seen that before.
I love that people think Brady had an MVP season at 40 because he eats avecado ice cream.
Same people who find nothing odd about David Ortiz having the best season of his career at 40, as well, ironically.
Take a look at Ortiz when he was with the twins compared to when he was with Boston. Granted it’s natural to bulk up with age but the amount he bulked up and the performance he put up makes is a surprise he was never suspected of PEDs
Ortiz has been suspected of using PEDs
His name was on the list
Twice !
It was mailed to my house in my wife’s name, she works out!!
So what chapter of TB12 talks about butt injections? Maybe this is why Bill doesnt want Gurrero around his players.
TB12 is more zen than science. It’s like that Trudeau guy on TV at 3 am telling you that cancer can be cured without medicine.
Pushed under the rug.
Signed……………………….P Manning
I bet he gets cut
I’d cut Dorsett or Britt before I let go of Mitchell or berrios.
Agreed
I wonder what exactly he was taking.
Here come the trolls and haters…
A well known Patriots player popping positive? Christmas, 4th of July, and New Years all rolled into one for the Trolls, Haters, and Keyboard Psychopaths on this site.
Haters? MLB you do PEDs you’re career is basically over. NFL it’s a 4 week vacation.
No it’s not! 1st time caught it’s an 80 game suspension without pay
and you can’t play in the post -season if your team makes it in! There have been plenty of players that have signed huge contracts after PED problems .