Birds' T Johnson handed a four-game suspension

New York, NY -- Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson was hit with a four-game suspension, without pay, by the National Football League on Wednesday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances by taking a medication he says he failed to check out properly.

The suspension was reported by media outlets last month and announced by the NFL on Wednesday.
Johnson started all 16 games as a rookie last season after being drafted No. 4 overall by the Eagles out of Oklahoma.

He said in a statement issued by the team that he "mistakenly and foolishly put a prescribed medication in my body to help with a medical issue" while he was training in April.

"In April while training, I mistakenly and foolishly put a prescribed medication in my body to help with a medical issue. I mistakenly failed to clear it with Eagles trainers and check the NFL list of banned substances. I am extremely sorry for this mistake and I will learn from it and be smarter in the future.

“I would like to sincerely apologize to Mr. Lurie, Howie Roseman, Coach Kelly and his staff, my teammates and our amazing Philadelphia Eagles fans. This will be very hard on me to not be battling with my teammates for four games - but I will be ready and better than ever when I return."

Johnson is eligible to participate offseason and preseason practices and games but will miss the first four regular-season contests against Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Washington and San Francisco.
He can return to the active roster on Monday, Sept. 29.

"We're very disappointed to learn of his suspension," the Eagles said in a statement. "We have spoken to Lane about the details of the suspension. He understood what he did wrong and took full responsibility. The key for him, however, is to learn from that mistake and move forward with his preparation for the 2014 season."