Dallas Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn, already sidelined with a fractured hand, will now miss time for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the team confirmed Thursday.
Quinn will be suspended without pay for the first two games of the 2019 regular season for the transgression.
Neither the league nor the team specified what drug was in Quinn's system when tested, but his agent blasted the NFL saying the league knew Quinn was taking medication for seizures, was not doping and punished him anyway.
Quinn's agent, Sean Kiernan, said they appealed the league's punishment but that it was upheld by an arbitrator.
"We found out about the suspension officially today," said Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on Thursday. "We support Robert Quinn, we trust Robert Quinn. His agent did come out with a long explanation of those circumstances, I don't want to make any comment on that beyond the fact that we trust Robert Quinn, we're going to support him 100% and can't wait to get him back."
The league said Quinn is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games -- but how much action he'll see there remains to be seen after having surgery on his injured hand in Dallas this week.
Quinn is expected to be healthy when he's eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 16.
