Report: Lane Johnson Facing 10-Game Suspension
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
I'll tell ya, it's never a dull moment when you're a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
What was already expected to be a volatile season could've just gotten worse for Eagles Nation. Reports surfaced earlier this afternoon, that offensive lineman Lane Johnson is facing a 10-game suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The suspension has not been confirmed by the team, Johnson, or the NFLPA. However, this would serve as the four-year veteran's second suspension of this nature. Back in 2014, Johnson was suspended for four games as a result of a positive PED test. This suspension isn't as cut-and-dry as his first was, though. Darren DeGanteo was the first to report the news, while NFL Network's Ian Rappoport later confirmed the news via Twitter. Let's get started with what we actually know.
There's very little clarity regarding this suspension, though. Multiple reports have stated that Johnson's appealing the suspension, while Johnson himself has denied the suspension in a statement to Jeff McLane from the Philadelphia Inquirer, saying that "all was good." FOXSports NFL Insider Jay Glazer threw a bit of monkey wrench into things, when he posted a tweet stating that Johnson told him that "took an amino acid that was approved but tested positive for peptide." Glazer went on to note that Johnson's fighting the suspension, and that they're currently awaiting his B Sample. That sample will provide a little more clarity on the situation.
The B Sample is a crucial part to this alleged report, as it would confirm that Johnson did indeed test positive for a banned substance. However, if his B Sample comes back showing the opposite of his A Sample, that would make the situation a whole lot more confusing, as it would basically show two different results. To help clarify a bit, the director of the World Anti-Doping Agency made this statement a while back regarding the importance of the B Sample.
"The B-sample helps confirm that an anti-doping rule violation has occurred and protects the rights of the athletes. It should be stressed that anti-doping is one of the few types of controls in society in which a confirmation procedure is used in order to protect individuals, and the very rare cases in which the analysis of the B-sample did not match the results of the A-sample have shown the usefulness of such procedure."
For Johnson, this suspension would hit him hard. After signing a huge extension earlier this year with the Birds, the 26-year old could miss out on the $35.5 million in guaranteed money if he test positive, according the ESPN's Field Yates. His contract had a clause in it, that immediately voided the guaranteed money in the event of a suspension. That doesn't mean that Johnson can't earn the money, though. It just means that Johnson would have to earn that money -- as opposed to having it handed to him.
If Johnson's suspension is upheld, this would also serve as a massive blow to the Eagles. For a team that is already weak on offensive line depth, they truly can't afford for this report to be true. Aside from Johnson, the Eagles are working on a line with an oft-injured Jason Peters, newcomer Brandon Brooks, former pro-bowl center Jason Kelce, and a number of backups including Dennis Kelly, Andrew Gardner, Issac Seumalo, Allen Barbre, Matt Tobin, and Hallapoulivatti Vaitai. Not exactly a top-notch line, eh?
Johnson, the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, is now toeing a thin line. As apart of the NFL CBA, players that test positive for PEDs are subject to a first time suspension of four games. A second suspension is a 10 game suspension. For a third offense, a player would be subject to a two-year suspension. With this serving as Lane's second offense, any little slip-up would be crippling for his career.
Finally, this suspension would be a major blow to the Eagles organization. Back in March, the Birds made the trade to acquire the second-overall pick, landing Carson Wentz. In that trade, the Eagles coughed up their first-round pick in the 2017 draft. If the suspension holds up, this is great news for the Cleveland Browns. The absence of Johnson would drastically weaken an already shaky team, and would provide the Browns with a better draft position (via the Eagles pick). With the NFL Draft reportedly coming to Philadelphia in 2017, that's not going to sit well with Eagles fans.
There's still so much uncertainty regarding this situation, that it'd be irresponsible to speculate on the future of either party. As further details surface, be sure to check back with Philly Sport Passion for additional updates.
