The NFL is suspending Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the first two games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The suspension is for a prescription medicine that he didn’t get a valid therapeutic use exemption for, according to Schefter.
The Raiders are expected to release Garoppolo before his $11.25 million bonus kicks in in March, Schefter reported.
The Raiders are expected to release Jimmy Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, when he would earn an $11.25 million roster bonus, per sources. https://t.co/jqju8Vv5Ka
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 16, 2024
Jimmy G will not appeal the suspension, according to Schefter.
Jimmy GQ’s once rising stock is now at an all-time low. After the San Francisco 49ers sent a second round pick to New England to acquire the services of Tom Brady’s then-backup in 2017, the league had high expectations for the handsome signal caller. The 49ers clearly thought he would be great, as indicated by the ludicrous $137.5 million contract they gave him in 2018.
FOXBORO, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots talks with Jimmy Garoppolo #10 before a game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
But his stardom never really transitioned into on-field success. Aside from a fantastic 2019 where he steered the 49ers to the Super Bowl but (stop me if you’ve heard this before) ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jimmy G’s NFL career has been pretty lackluster.
He hit rock bottom in 2023 when, after the Raiders cleared house and fired head coach Josh McDaniels, Garoppolo was benched for rookie Aidan O’Connell. (RELATED: Super Bowl Loser’s Best Friend Hints He’s On His Way Out)
Jimmy’s decision not to appeal his suspension and forego his $11 million won’t hurt his wallet too much. The signal caller has earned nearly $150 million from NFL teams over the course of his 10 year career.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 04: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The suspension itself, however, is pretty odd. Typically suspensions under the NFL’s substance program are either for illicit drugs like marijuana or immediately identifiable performance enhancers like human growth hormone or steroids. I don’t want to speculate, but I’m absolutely going to speculate and say it could be Adderall.
My sources tell me there’s a way higher usage of the ADD drug in professional athletics than most people think. For a quarterback whose job requires a great deal of focus and memorization of massive volumes of playbooks, it makes sense that the drug meant for improving concentration could be the culprit, but at this time we don’t quite know.