Cardinals corner Peterson suspended for substance violation

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended the first six games of the 2019 season. He violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

He will forfeit nearly $4 million to be exact. The exact total is $3.88 million.

Peterson — who is arguably the best corner in the league — has already dropped his appeal. It is not clear when exactly Peterson failed his drug test.

“Patrick recognizes how disappointing this is for everyone in the organization as well as our fans,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “As we all do, he understands that regardless of intent he is ultimately responsible for everything he puts in his body. Our coaching staff and our players are now aware that we will have to play the first six games without Patrick and they understand they have to rise to the challenge that it presents.”

Peterson will miss the season-opener at home against the Detroit Lions. He will also miss a road game against the Baltimore Ravens and a Week 3 home game against the Carolina Panthers.

He’ll also miss a Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks and a Week 5 road contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. His final game of his suspension will be against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.

He is eligible to return in Week 7 against the New York Giants on Oct. 20.

Peterson has made the Pro Bowl in his first eight seasons. He is one of 13 players to accomplish this feat.

Since he was drafted in 2011, he has 23 interceptions. He’s also tied with Earl Thomas and Eric Weddle with 23 interceptions during this time.

Richard Sherman has the most with 32 interceptions and Reggie Nelson is second with 29 interceptions.

The 28-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Florida native has spent his entire career with the Cardinals thus far. He started all 16 games in 2018.

Peterson had 54 tackles, including two tackles for a loss, and one quarterback hit. He also had 1.0 sacks, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and five pass deflections.

In his career, he started all 128 games. He has 387 tackles, including seven tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits. He also had 3.0 sacks, 23 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, one forced fumble, 12 fumble recoveries, and 76 pass deflections.