Colts TE Weslye Saunders Suspended Eight Games

Dec 9 2012, Indianapolis, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Delone Carter (34) celebrates with tight end Weslye Saunders (85) after scoring a touchdown during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Tennessee, 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis Colts TE Weslye Saunders failed a second test with the NFL for performance enhancing drugs, and will face an eight game suspension to start the 2013 season.

The Colts picked up Saunders in 2012 after he was waived in Pittsburgh following a four-game suspension for the same reasons. Saunders was a prospect coming out of South Carolina in 2011 that was considered to have a very high ceiling as an all-around TE, but he wound up going undrafted due to concerns about his character.

Those concerns have clearly been validated, as Saunders is one failed drug test away from missing an entire season with no pay.

This is absolutely not welcome news for the Colts, who are already dealing with wide receiver LaVon Brazill, who is facing a four-game suspension for failing a drug test with the league, as well as safety Joe Lefeged, another former undrafted free agent who was arrested this offseason on gun-related charges.

Saunders’ release in Pittsburgh was a big surprise, so the Colts felt pretty fortunate to be able to claim a player with such high upside at the TE position, but this may be the end of the line for him. After being claimed by the Colts, Saunders said that his drug use was a one-time thing, even if he wasn’t ‘shooting’ anything up his veins.

“When you hear performance-enhancing drugs, automatically you kind of think of some guy in the corner shooting up whatever into his veins,” he said. “It was nothing like that. A one-time thing. I learned from it and am ready to roll now.”

Entering training camp, Saunders will be competing for the third TE spot behind Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, and as of right now, his competition is 2013 Mr. Irrelevant Justice Cunningham and Dominique Jones.