Cardinals LB criticizes NFL’s PED policy after getting suspended for positive test
Aug 17, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; An Arizona Cardinals helmet on the bench during the second half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
An Arizona Cardinals player has become the latest to get suspended under the NFL’s PED policy, and he is choosing to sound off.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that Cardinals linebacker Markus Bailey has been suspended for six games. Bailey’s suspension is due to a positive test for PEDs, the NFL added.
Later in the day on Tuesday, Bailey’s legal team issued a statement on his suspension. They blamed the NFL’s “unforgiving strict liability policy” for PEDs and added that Bailey’s positive result “likely came from inadvertent ingestion of a contaminated supplement or medication” (noting that Bailey had tested clean less than a month earlier).
Bailey himself also issued a statement to X, saying that his positive test was “clearly a contamination issue with only 0.05 nanograms found” but adding that he had decided to accept the suspension under the current rules.
You can read the full statements below.
I would never have intentionally taken a banned substance. This was clearly a contamination issue with only 0.05 nanograms found but due to the NFL's strict liability policy, it was best for the team and myself to accept the suspension now. https://t.co/4B7hBQZgQK
— Markus Bailey (@mb_boiler21) November 19, 2024
The 27-year-old Bailey, a former seventh-round draft pick, is currently on Arizona’s practice squad and has appeared in just one game for the team this season. A six-game suspension means that Bailey won’t be eligible to return until the final game of the regular season in Week 18 vs. the San Francisco 49ers.
A couple of seasons ago, a much more well-known NFL player also argued against the league’s PED policy, blaming a contaminated sample showing a trace amount of a banned substance for his positive PED test. Now Bailey is making the same argument as well and going very public with his claims.