Looks like the Texans defensive depth is going to be tested early this season.
The Houston Texans haven’t even stepped on the plane to Cleveland for their Hall of Fame tilt against the Chicago Bears and they’ve already lost a significant piece of their defensive line.
Texans defensive end Denico Autry was suspended by the NFL for six games for a violation of the league’s performance enhancing substances policy.
Autry, 34, going into his tenth season in the league, was as surprised as Texans fans when he received the news.
“Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in the use of performance enhancing drugs,” Autry said in the statement. “Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was, therefore, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result.”
While surprised about the suspension, and the PEDs found in his system, Autry stated that while he did not intend to violate the league’s PED policy, he will accept the punishment.
Per Autry, according to ESPN, the pharmacy he picked up his medicine from had switched out the prescription his doctor recommended for another which had the PED in it.
Autry continued, saying:
Autry apologized “to the Texans organization, my teammates, and the fans for any distraction this may cause. 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.”
Without Autry on the line, Mario Edwards Jr. and Tim Settle are going to see a lot more action in training camp and the first third of the season.
This obviously doesn’t spell doom for the Texans by any stretch of the imagination. That said, it can never be easy, can it?