Former Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97). Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Bills' suspended DE opens up about his 'careless' PEDs usage

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI | By Khari Demos | Last updated May 29, 2025 1:57 PM ET

An athlete making a massive mistake on a national stage can cause them to go silent for sometime. Michael Hoecht showed this week he was ready to address the matter.

After making headlines for joining the Buffalo Bills this offseason, and almost immediately being hit with a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), the fifth-year player was back on the scene on former Bills' offensive lineman Ross Tucker's podcast.

The former Rams' EDGE did not shy away from the situation. Rahe went into free agent meetings with general managers, like Buffalo's Brandon Beane, giving them a heads-up on the ensuing suspension.

"I think it was wanting to negotiate in good faith," Hoecht said. "It was my mistake. I was careless and put faith in people I shouldn't have put faith in. And I didn't want to play the game of secrecy and hiding it and trying to screw over a team over."

“It was my mistake. I was careless and put faith in people I shouldn’t have put faith in.”@RealMikeHoecht discusses his 6-Game PED Suspension: pic.twitter.com/BErcj5YuO1
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 28, 2025

Hoecht added how "important" it is to establish good relationships when joining a new team. He did not want to let a "selfish" moment of his hold his new team back, wherever that may be.

"The cover up is always worse than the crime," Hoecht said. "That happened, I can't change it, there's nothing I can do about it. But what is the next right thing to do?"

As for joining the Bills, Hoecht could not be happier about his landing spot. Not only playing with 2024 MVP Josh Allen, but also Pro Bowler Joey Bosa, and Ed Oliver, who he called "a monster."

"We've got loaded talent, top to bottom. So more than anything, more than money on [a] contract, I'm a football junkie," Hoecht said.

"I think, more than anything in the world, I think it's so cool going to a team that's going to be good. A team, hopefully, if all goes well according to plan, deep in the playoffs, and a chance to bring a Lombardi [Trophy] to Western New York. It couldn't be a more exciting team to be a part of."