Eagles OT Lane Johnson’s 10-Game Suspension Upheld

Steve Zashin, the lawyer for Eagles OT Lane Johnson, announced Tuesday that his client has been informed that his 10-game suspension has been upheld, per Albert Breer.

Here’s a statement released by Johnson’s counsel:

“We are disappointed with Aribitrator James Carter’s summary ruling.

We will wait for his formal written opinion.

After we review that decision, we will consider all available legal options.”

This, of course, means that Johnson will miss a large portion of the regular season but he could be back in time for their Week 16 matchup with the Giants.

Adam Schefter points out that Johnson’s 10-game suspension will result in the $25 million guaranteed money left on his new contract will no longer be guaranteed. Even so, it’s unlikely that the Eagles are going to cut their best offensive lineman at any point in the near future.

The process had been delayed for a period as the NFL and Johnson were waiting for his “B” sample to come back and show whether it also tested positive for a banned substance.

Johnson said he took an amino acid that was approved but still triggered positive for peptide. He previously mentioned that his plans was to fight both the 10-game suspension and the company that sold the peptide.

According to Johnson, he checked every supplement he takes with the “Aegis Shield” app provided by the NFLPA. However, since the NFLPA doesn’t test the products, there’s still no support from them in this matter: 

“I want that to be clear: The NFLPA does not stand up for players. They don’t check the supplements. And when you call them and ask them if you test positive for something they approve, it doesn’t matter.”

The Eagles locked up to a five-year extension worth $56.26 million that can max out at $60.01 million based on Pro Bowl escalators. Philadelphia is obviously paying him to eventually take over for Jason Peters at left tackle, but a second PED violation would be a major concern for the team.

Johnson, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Eagles back in 2013. He had one year remaining on his four-year, $19.853 million rookie contract when the Eagles elected to sign him to a sizable contract extension in January.

This season, Johnson has appeared in four games for the Eagles.