Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart has been suspended six games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Stewart will miss the Colts' home games against the Cleveland Browns (Sunday) and New Orleans Saints (Oct. 29), a road contest versus the Carolina Panthers (Nov. 5) and a clash against the New England Patriots (Nov. 12) in Frankfurt, Germany. He'll also sit out Indianapolis' games against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Nov. 26) and host Tennessee Titans (Dec. 3) before being eligible to return to the roster the following day.
"I want to apologize to the National Football League, the Colts organization, my teammates, our fans and my family," Stewart wrote on Instagram. "I was surprised and disappointed to learn I had violated the policy.
"I respect the integrity of the game and would never purposefully put myself or the team in this kind of situation.
"I am responsible for what I put in my body, and I should have taken the proper steps to educate myself. I will learn from this moving forward, and I will take the appropriate measures to ensure this never happens again."
Stewart, who will turn 30 on Friday, has recorded 20 tackles in six games (all starts) while competing in the final season of his three-year, $30.75 million contract extension. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Stewart has totaled 259 tackles, 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 102 career games (70 starts) with the Colts. Indianapolis selected Stewart in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
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