A friend of mine kiddingly asked what performance was there to enhance in terms of what Mark Sanchez does on a football field, but evidently the well-travel quarterback took something that violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy and was suspended for the first four games of the season.
All jokes aside, the free agent will not play on an opening day roster this season until he completes his suspension. He cited the positive test on an “unknowing supplement contamination.” He said he had clean tests 30 days before and 12 days after his positive test.
Mark Sanchez made the announcement on his Instagram account, denying the allegations of violating any policy.
“I was blind-sided by the news and I want to say unequivocally that I have never cheated or attempted to gain a competitive advantage by using a banned performance enhancing substance,” he wrote.
Per NFL.com, the former first-round pick has spent the last three seasons gallivanting around the league to back up young quarterbacks. Since the New York Jets released him in 2014, Sanchez has spent time with the Eagles, Broncos, Cowboys and Bears, making a combined 10 starts in four seasons. Sanchez did not make an appearance in a game for the Bears last year as he sat behind Mitchell Trubisky and Mike Glennon.
Entering his 10th season in the league, Mark Sanchez had never been suspended by the NFL until now. The 31-year-old quarterback had been a member of the Chicago Bears last season, but has become a free agent. It has been reported the Seattle Seahawks may be interested in him, but that might be up in the air now with the positive test.
Per Larry Brown Sports, The Seattle Seahawks are suddenly in the market for quarterback depth now that they had to release Trevone Boykin, and Mark Sanchez is a player who could help fill the void.
According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Sanchez has been mentioned as a possibility for the Seahawks. Sanchez played for Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at USC.