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Patrick Peterson suspended 6 games for violating NFL's PED policy

Peterson will return from suspension when the Arizona Cardinals face the New York Giants in Week 7.

PHOENIX — The video above describes Patrick Peterson's social media posts as trade rumors swirled last month around the draft.

The Arizona Cardinals star cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

The details surrounding the suspension are not known at this time. In a statement, the league said Peterson will be eligible to participate in practices and games during the offseason and preseason.

The Cardinals released a statement saying Peterson "recognizes how disappointing this is for everyone in the organization as well as our fans."

"As we all do, he understands that regardless of intent he is ultimately responsible for everything he puts in his body," the statement reads. "Our coaching staff and our players are now aware that we will have to play the first six games without Patrick and they understand they have to rise to the challenge that it presents.”

MORE: Cam Cox and Bruce Cooper discuss Patrick Peterson suspension

The NFL says Peterson will be allowed to return on Oct. 14, after the Cardinals Week 6 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. His first game back will be against the New York Giants. 

Peterson is an eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback who had Cardinals fans gasping when he apparently requested a trade midseason this past year. He later apologized during the Phoenix Open in January saying he was "here to stay."

ESPN's Dan Graziano tweeted a portion of the NFL's drug policy saying that most PED violations result in a four-game suspension for first-time offenders.

"But there are cases in which it can be more," Graziano tweeted.

According to the portion of the policy that he tweeted, a six game suspension is reserved for a positive test for a prohibited substance plus an attempt to "substitute, dilute or adulterate a specimen" or an attempt to "manipulate" the test result.

"Another reason a first-time PED offender could be suspended six games instead of four would be a "non-analytical positive," meaning a finding of a PED violation through means other than a drug test," Graziano tweeted.

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