Nazeeh Johnson: PED suspension stemmed from fertility medication
Titans cornerback Nazeeh Johnson says his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy came after he unknowingly took a banned fertility medication while trying to conceive a child with his wife.
Tennessee Titans cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, says the positive test came from a fertility medication he took while trying to start a family.
In a statement, Johnson said he and his wife were trying to conceive a child when he learned he was infertile and began taking a fertility medication — without knowing it contained a substance on the league's banned list.
"I was not aware that there was a substance in the medication that was on the banned list, and I tested positive for a PED," Johnson wrote, per Pro Football Talk. "We lost our baby a few weeks ago, and this has been an incredibly difficult time for my wife and me."
Some fertility medications are classified as banned performance-enhancing substances, though athletes can apply for therapeutic-use exemptions when taking them under a doctor's supervision. Johnson said he did not realize the medication was on the list and did not seek an exemption.
Because NFL suspensions are unpaid, Johnson will lose about $350,000 — roughly one-third of his salary — this season.