The NFL has suspended Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy, the team announced on Thursday. Jordan will miss the first four games of the season and will be eligible to return to the active roster on Monday, Sept. 29.
Dion Jordan suspended 4 games
The 2013 first-round pick will miss games against the Patriots, Bills, Chiefs and Raiders before he’s eligible to return.
Mike Ehrmann
Jordan will be able to participate in all offseason activities and the preseason. Jordan was Miami’s first-round pick in 2013, and was expected to be a huge part of the team’s defensive success in 2014. The actual substances in question are unknown, but Jordan is notably up 17 pounds from his weight coming into the NFL, as reported by ESPN in May when he was getting “bigger [and] stronger.”
The Phinsider
Head coach Joe Philbin said the team is "disappointed" to learn about the suspension, but that Jordan has "accepted responsibility for his actions." Jordan himself said as much, before apologizing to "teammates, coaches, [team owner] Stephen Ross, the entire Dolphins organization, fans and my family as well."
As a rookie, Jordan primarily played in pass-rushing situations, but with the added weight he was expected to take more snaps. The Dolphins weren’t quite so confident in his abilities to stop the run as a rookie, but if he is able to show them he can do that, he’ll be an every-down player. This suspension will certainly set him back, however.
Jordan will miss games against the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in that order. Miami has a bye in Week 5, before taking on the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 12.
Below, we’ve got a table of the suspensions thus far for 2014:
| Player | Reason | Length | First offense? | Cost |
| Fred Davis | Substance abuse | Indefinite | No | N/A |
| Jake Knott | PEDs | 4 games | Yes | $116,470.00 |
| Brandon Moore | Substance abuse | 4 games | Yes | $98,823.00 |
| Frank Alexander | Substance abuse | 4 games | Yes | $134,117.00 |
| Stedman Bailey | PEDs | 4 games | Yes | $120,551.00 |
| Robert Mathis | PEDs | 4 games | Yes | $705,882.00 |
| Daryl Washington | Substance abuse | 1 year | No | $3,000,000.00 |
| Will Hill | Substance abuse | 6 games | No | $201,176.00 |
| Jayron Hosley | Substance abuse | 4 games | Yes | $134,117.00 |
| Lane Johnson | PEDs | 4 games | Yes | $123,750.00 |
| Dion Jordan | PEDs | 4 games | Yes | $123,750.00 |
| Rokevious Watkins | Substance abuse | 4 games | No | $123,750.00 |
| LaVon Brazill | PEDs | 1 year | No | $570,000.00 |
See More:
