New York Jets defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd was suspended six games by the NFL for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.
He will be eligible to return to the Jets' active roster on Monday, Oct. 28.
Shepard told NFL.com he knowingly took the banned substances while he was recovering from shoulder and groin injuries this summer. He said sports hernia surgery he underwent led to a herniated disk in his back and he took the substances to speed his recovery, wanting to impress new coach Adam Gase.
"All that was going on, I was coming off of a sub-par season and a new coaching staff, new playbook, new everything," Shepherd told NFL.