Former Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2014 season, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). While Yates didn’t specify what Landry is being disciplined for, it appears to be for another violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, which calls for a 10-game ban for second-time violators.
Under the NFL’s drug policy, which was tweaked last year, first-time violators for steroids, stimulants, HGH, and other banned substances are subject to suspensions of four games without pay — Landry served a suspension of that variety this past season while he was still a Colt. Assuming Landry returns to the NFL following his 10-game penalty, he’d have plenty of incentive to avoid failing another test. A third violation of the policy would result in a banishment for a minimum of two years.
Having been released by the Colts earlier in the offseason, Landry is currently an unrestricted free agent, and the suspension certainly won’t help his stock this month. A team may still take a flier on him in the hopes of stashing him away on the reserve/suspended list until he’s eligible to return, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran safety had to wait until halfway through the 2015 season to find a deal.