New York Giants safety Tyler Sash was suspended by the NFL on Tuesday for four games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. On Wednesday, Sash talked to the media about his suspension.
Giants running back Andre Brown had his suspension for the same drug, Adderall, lifted after an appeal earlier this offseason. Sash declined to compared himself to Brown.
"I think everybody's situation is a little different so I can't really compare myself to Andre. I just put something in my body that I had a prescription from my doctor for. But I am a professional and I need to handle myself in a professional manner, meaning I need to know all the rules," Sash said. "At that time I was not informed and I have to own up to my mistake and suffer the consequences. I just have to look at the positives, like the fact that I'm still on the team. I'm still going to practice and go through with all the preseason games. I'm excited about that."
Sash did say that he was not aware that when Brown went through the appeal process that his suspension was due to Adderall. Like Brown, Sash has a prescription for the drug and said the league did not give him a lengthy explanation of why they denied his appeal.
"They basically just deny it. I just got the call yesterday. This has been going on with me since April right before OTAs, so I've been dealing with this for a while now," Sash said.
In a statement after the suspension, the second-year safety out of Iowa said he was unaware that Adderall was a banned substance by the NFL. Sash also said he began taking the drug to deal with his anxiety about public speaking appearances.
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