Giants safety Tyler Sash didn’t know why his appeal was rejected, while teammate Andre Brown’s four-game suspension was repealed.
The two players were both said to have violated the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance abuse policy, and while each claimed to have failed to inform the league of an Adderall prescription, Brown was cleared of any wrongdoing in the spring while Sash is forced to sit four regular-season games.
“I think everybody’s situation is a little bit different,” said Sash, who can practice with the Giants in training camp and play during the preseason, but must stay away from the team from the beginning of the regular season until Oct. 1. “I can’t really compare myself to Andre. Like I said, everybody’s situation is different. I just put something in my body that I had a prescription from a doctor for. But, you know, at the same time, I am a professional and I need to handle myself in a professional manner and be informed and know all the rules.”
Sash said he was surprised about the positive test mostly because he never saw himself as a player who could be associated with PEDs.
Sash says he simply went to a “hometown doctor” who he’s known “forever,” and failed to notify the Giants or the league that he had received a prescription for Adderall.
“Just my whole life I’ve always felt like I’ve gone down the right path, but I just hit a little bump in the road,” Sash said. “Right now, I got to take it as a professional, you know, handle my responsibility and be more informed next time.”
Brown was originally suspended by the NFL in April, but was ultimately vindicated in May when the league revoked his suspension following his appeal.
However, Sash said he was unaware of Brown’s situation and has been going through this process since April.
Sash couldn’t think of what would be different between their cases -- other than saying every case is unique -- but Brown did have a prescription for Adderall in previous seasons, but had just failed to notify the league this year.
Sash, meanwhile, had only recently received a prescription.
Safeties coach Dave Merritt said the biggest loss is on special teams, where Sash had made significant progress and had turned himself into one of that unit’s leaders.
“To be honest with you I think it hurts more the special teams coaches than it does us as defensive coaches,” Merritt said. “I just hate it for the young man to go through this. He’ll be able to practice and such, but for special teams he brought so much to the table. He was a leader for the punt team. He goes all out every snap. Tyler, I told him yesterday, you’ll get past this as well. Special teams I definitely know someone’s going to have to pick up the slack.”
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