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2 players, including Super Bowl champion, suspended 3 games for violating substance abuse policy
By Ryan Morik
Published September 21, 2022
The NFL handed down suspensions to two players Wednesday for allegedly violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Los Angeles Rams tight end Brycen Hopkins and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee both will be out for their teams' next three games.
Hopkins, son of former Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Brad Hopkins, caught four passes for 47 yards for the Rams in the 2022 Super Bowl after Tyler Higbee missed the game due to injury and backup Kendall Blanton suffered a shoulder injury in the first half.
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Brycen Hopkins of the Los Angeles Rams takes the field against the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2022 NFL Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
This year, Hopkins has been on the field for just eight snaps in the Rams' first two games.
Higbee is the only tight end on the Rams' active roster after Hopkins' suspension, so the team will have to bring someone up from the practice squad or scour the free agent market.
Hopkins was a 2020 fourth-round selection out of Purdue after being named first-team All-Big Ten his senior year. He can return Oct. 16 against the Carolina Panthers.
Los Angeles Rams tight end Brycen Hopkins runs after the catch during an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Aug. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kazee is on injured reserve, so he was slated to miss the Steelers' next two games anyway. Now, he will not be active until their Week 6 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will not receive pay for the three games he misses.
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The safety was a fifth-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, where he spent his first four seasons. He played last year with the Dallas Cowboys and signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in May. Since 2018, he has started 48 of 52 games played.
Damontae Kazee (24) of the Pittsburgh Steelers defends during the first half of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field Aug. 20, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
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He was arrested for a DWI October 2021.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/2-players-including-super-bowl-champion-suspended-3-games-for-violating-substance-abuse-policy