Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry has been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s policy against performance enhancing drugs.
Autry, who signed with the Texans on a two-year, $20 million contract earlier this year as a free agent, said in a statement that he did not intentionally violate the league’s policy but accepts the punishment.
“Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in the use of performance enhancing drugs. Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was, therefore, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result,” he said in the statement.
Autry says upon his investigation of the matter, he “discovered that a pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication, had, whether intentionally, recklessly, or negligently, included a banned substance.”
“Upon discovering the source of the positive test, I immediately retained legal counsel in connection with this matter. My counsel provided the NFL with information, including documentation from my doctors, establishing that I neither asked for nor was prescribed any banned substances. It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance,” he said.
Autry apologized “to the Texans organization, my teammates, and the fans for any distraction this may cause.”
Autry, who posted a career-best 11.5 sacks last season for the Tennessee Titans, has 59 sacks in his career.