Less than three months after being suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, Ravens tight end Nick Boyle is in trouble again.
The 2015 fifth-round pick has been banned without pay for the first 10 games of the 2016 regular season for a second offense of the policy. Boyle will remain eligible to participate in the offseason program as well as preseason practices and games this summer.
His first suspension ended an otherwise-successful rookie season in which the University of Delaware product had caught 18 passes for 153 yards in 11 games as Baltimore’s blocking tight end. Boyle apologized to fans via his Twitter account after the first suspension.
“I am truly sorry for the disappointment I have caused by a poor choice I made,” Boyle wrote. “I am ready to move forward and I appreciate all the support.”
Head coach John Harbaugh did not specify in December what led to Boyle’s suspension — he said that it wasn’t anything serious like steroids — and it remains unclear whether Boyle was suspended for the same substance this time around. What is clear is that a third offense of the performance-enhancing substances policy would result in Boyle being suspended for at least two seasons, which would be subject to appeal.
Some were already calling for Boyle to be cut on Friday afternoon, but the organization has a recent history of sticking with players in violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. In 2013, ex-Ravens cornerback Asa Jackson was suspended eight games for his second violation of the same policy and remained with the organization through this past season.
“I don’t think he realized that it was something he shouldn’t be doing,” said Harbaugh about Boyle on Dec. 7. “Or, if he did, he just didn’t think it through. I talked to him and he was just telling me how stupid it was and I agreed — it was pretty dumb. Hopefully, he’ll grow and learn from that.”
