Wide Receiver LaVon Brazill Suspended by NFL

The NFL has suspended LaVon Brazill, wide receiver of the Indianapolis Colts, for the first four games of the 2013 season. Brazill’s suspension was a result of a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

The substance in concern is still not known at the time of this article. A violation of the NFL substance abuse policy could be a wide array of banned substances. Other players in the past have been suspended for everything from performance-enhancing drugs, to marijuana, to codeine. Each player in the league is given an expansive list of every substance mentioned as banned, and are usually aware of when testing occurs.

For the Colts, this is a surprise and an offseason disappointment. For Brazill, who is entering his second year as a pro, this could prove devastating to his future with the team who chose him in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The wide out spot is one of the more competitive areas on the Colts’ depth chart this season. Brazill was the preliminary front-runner to be the team’s fourth wide out, behind Reggie Wayne, Darius Heyward-Bey, and T.Y. Hilton. This suspension may not only stunt Brazill’s growth as a pro, but will also open the door for some other young talent to usurp his spot.

As a rookie in 2012, Brazil played little, but looked good when on the field. Brazill played in 15 games, but never started. The rookie had only 11 catches, for 186 yards. Brazil scored only one touchdown in 2012, but that single score was a 42-yard touchdown catch from Andrew Luck.