Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater has been suspended the first four games of the season for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.
The violation is alcohol-related, the Denver Post reports. Prater has been in the league’s alcohol program since being busted for a DUI in 2011.
In that DUI, Prater backed into a car in a parking lot and left without leaving a note. He had a stripper in the car with him and was tracked down by police, to whom he denied drinking. He was arrested after failing a field sobriety test.
Prater must have screwed up pretty badly this time, because the league threatened a one-year suspension. His agent was able to negotiate it down to four games, meaning Prater is not expected to appeal.
“I’ve made some mistakes,” Prater said. “I’m accepting full responsibility. I’ll learn from it and come back a better person. I want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, the Broncos’ organization and the fans.”
Prater led the league last season with a 96.2 percent conversion rate (25-26) on field goal attempts. He also set a record by booting a 64-yard field goal.
