Denico Autry is getting his career off with the Houston Texans in the worst way possible.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the NFL is suspending defensive end Denico Autry for six games for violating its policy against performance-enhancing drugs.
He denied using performance-enhancing drugs through his agent, Rodney Edwards.
“Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in use of performance enhancing drugs,” Autry said in a written statement. “Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result.
“I immediately investigated the matter and discovered that a pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication, had, whether intentionally, recklessly, or negligently, included a banned substance.”
#Texans DE Denico Autry is being suspended 6 games for violating NFL policy against performance enhancing drugs.
He has released a statement saying, “It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance.“
Full: pic.twitter.com/1zc7k8eyTb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 29, 2024
Denico Autry made it clear that he did not know the medication contained a banned substance, but he did accept his suspension while he apologized to the Texans, his teammates, and the fan base.
“Finally, I want to assure our fans that my commitment to competing to the best of my ability has only grown, and I look forward to returning to the field,” he said.
Denico Autry’s Suspension Puts The Houston Texans In A Bind
The Houston Texans Denico Autry to a two-year, $20 million deal with $10 million guaranteed just this offseason, per ESPN.
The 34-year-old had a career-high 11 1/2 sacks last season for the Titans.
He is certainly going to have much lower than that after he was suspended for violating its policy against performance-enhancing drugs.
His untimely suspension puts Houston in a little bit of a bind, as he was supposed to be a huge part of this defense.
The Texans now have to go another route, as they were supposed to use the defensive end on obvious passing downs, which is something he excelled at.
The Texans did sign defensive end Jerry Hughes a week before camp began, so maybe he will get a huge chance to step up.
