DeAndre Hopkins wishes NFL PED policy 'wasn't so black and white'

DeAndre Hopkins says the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy needs some flexibility for different circumstances. (USAT/Mark Rebilas)

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Aug 01 15:01:32 GMT-04:00 2022

Former Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins is set to sit out the first six games of the 2022 NFL regular season due to a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy last fall.

The three-time NFL All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler says he was .034% over the threshold for the drug Ostarine being found in his blood stream, which he maintains comes from contamination of a product and not any intentional use of the drug.

Similar to Dabo Swinney's defense for three Tigers being suspended for the 2018 Playoff and beyond, Hopkins says Ostarine can be found in any number of products.

“If you know about what it is, it can be in shampoo, it can be in a lot of different things. Obviously the NFL is very black and white, so of course, I wish the rule wasn’t so black and white. It is what it is," Hopkins told reporters. “It’s hard to know when something gets contaminated at a trace amount when you’re not working at the manufacturing company.”

Hopkins could not find the source of the said contamination and he hopes the league can take his kind of case into account going forward.

“It’s hard to know what you can eat, what you can do when you’re not in control of manufacturing anything or what goes through a conveyor belt, you know what I’m saying?” Hopkins said. “So, obviously, I do think that rules should change. But like I said, that stuff, it’ll work itself out, and I’ve never taken anything. I barely take vitamins.”

With the current ruling, Hopkins is set to return on Oct. 20 in a Thursday matchup where Arizona hosts New Orleans.

Hopkins missed a total of seven games last season, with a knee injury cutting short his campaign for career season-lows in catches (42) and yards (572).

Before last season, the former first-round pick and All-American Tigers receiver had played at least 15 games per season with an average of 1,251 yards on 93 catches with eight touchdowns per year.