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Giants receiver Golden Tate will miss the first four games of the 2019 season Justin Layne Jersey , unless his appeal of a failed PED test prevails. “This past April, during the offseason, my wife and I decided to see a specialist for fertility planning,” Tate said. “I started the treatment prescribed to me and just days later I discovered it contained an ingredient that is on the league’s banned substance list. I immediately discontinued use, I reported the situation to the Independent Administrator of the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances, and I spoke with my coaches and general manager. I did all of this well before a failed test was even confirmed.”The timeline becomes important to fully understanding the situation. When did Tate start taking the substance? When was he tested? How long does the substance or its metabolites remain in the system?Those are fair questions to ask, given that no players who fail PED tests ever say, “I tried to cheat, and I got caught.” Everyone (except Julian Edelman) has an excuse Benny Snell Jr. Jersey , and every excuse entails some version of the notion that the player didn’t intentionally take a banned substance.Tate expressed “confiden[ce] in the facts,” but he didn’t explain the basis for his belief that an appeal will prevail. Given that the PED policy applies a standard of strict liability that makes players responsible for everything that is in their bodies, intent doesn’t matter.“During the entirety of my 10 year career I have taken great pride in playing this game the right way, have been an ambassador for the NFL and have never had any issues with the league’s policy,” Tate said. “The treatment this past April had no effect on the upcoming season, and I did not, and could not have undergone this treatment in April for any competitive advantage.”That’s fine as a matter of P.R., but it’s irrelevant to the question of whether Tate will prevail on appeal.And the lesson for all other players is simple. Before undergoing any course of medical treatment, whether for fertility or anything else Zach Gentry Jersey , make sure the substance being ingested contains no banned substances under the PED policy ever taking it. After Browns running back Duke Johnson asked to be traded, Browns General Manager John Dorsey channeled Tommy Lee Jones and essentially said, I don’t care. Browns coach Freddie Kitchens feels the same way.“At this point in time, him asking for a trade doesn’t matter to me,” Kitchens said, via ESPN. “He’s a Cleveland Brown. Duke’s the type of the guy who’s going to show up and he’s going to do his job and he’s going do his job well. That’s all I can ask for as a coach. His demands, I’m not impacted by that one bit.”Kitchens insisted that Johnson will be on the roster in 2019.“Duke’s under contract,” Kitchens said. “I’ve said this for a month now, I don’t know where all this trade talk started happening. People just assumed we would trade him because we signed another good football player [Kareem Hunt]. I like good football players Nick Bosa Jersey , and I like as many as I can get. It’s our job to get him the ball and enable him in whatever role that is. Duke Johnson is on this football team and will have a vital role on this team and will help us win football games. Am I surprised he’s still here? No, not one bit. I have never said anything different than that.”Johnson played all 16 games last year but had a diminished role in the offense, finishing the season with career-lows in carries, rushing yards, catches and receiving yards. Heading into his fifth season, Johnson seems like a player the Browns could easily decide to move on from, but Kitchens and Dorsey have both indicated that won’t happen any time soon.