Johnson will reportedly receive a 10-game ban for the violation.
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“If you send it in to the trainer of your team, all they do is read the labels”, Johnson said.
“I talked to the NFLPA”. But, the Birds’ starting right tackle said, the NFLPA does not test the supplements themselves, a process that costs a couple thousands dollars. “That’s where I am right now”. This came after an admission that he did not expect that his “B” sample would come back clean. That’ll be two or three weeks from now.
“Every supplement I’ve taken has been approved by the G-shield app, which the NFLPA gives us”. He sent the supplement to his lawyer, who he said will facilitate an individual test to determine if the product was contaminated.
Johnson also said he “fully expects to be suspended”, per Dave Zangaro of CSN Philly, and said the “NFLPA doesn’t have players’ backs”.
Johnson said this is quite different than two years ago.
“The first time, I knew I was at fault”, Johnson admitted.
“There is no worse feeling than having to go through this again”, Johnson said. “It’s nothing I ever want to be a part of again”. I learned my lesson. The supplement industry is not regulated, so you do not know what’s in it. It’s hard to believe, coming from a second-time offender. They don’t check the supplements they give us in the app. “Then if you call and ask them if you test positive for something they approve, it doesn’t matter”.
What bothers Johnson is he says the supplement in question was on the NFLPA’s approved list – although Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News said later that Johnson was referring to the union’s app, because the NFLPA doesn’t have an official approved list of supplements. Starting left guard Allen Barbre took first team reps at right tackle on Saturday.
Johnson said he’s having the supplement tested, and he would let the Eagles test everything he took, which probably won’t matter for his suspension but could be helpful for his reputation.
He said he has little hope that his B sample will test any differently than the initial one. “It’s something I desperately wanted to avoid”, Johnsons said. “It’s been a nightmare”. He’s waiting to hear back from the National Football League about his second pee sample and expects to know in a few weeks whether his suspension will be official. That’s been the hardest thing. “The last thing I wanted to be labeled as is a cheater, (for) my son to look me in the eye and say, ‘Hey daddy, what are you doing?’ I have nothing to hide, so I’m moving forward, from that standpoint”.
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Johnson said he expects to learn whether he’s suspended sometimes near Week 1 of the regular season and is unsure if he’d be available for the September 11 opener against the Cleveland Browns.
