New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram has been suspended for the first four games of the upcoming NFL season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to multiple reports. The suspension means that Ingram won't be available for the Saints' home games against the Tampa Bay Bucs and Cleveland Browns in Weeks 1 & 2, or road games against the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants in Weeks 3 & 4.
Ingram will still be permitted to participate in offseason workouts, training camp and the preseason, but he will not be able to practice or play in those first four games. That said, NFL Network's Ian Rapaport reports that Ingram has not been around the facility during conditioning and he won’t be around for OTAs.
Last season, Ingram combined with NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara to provide an explosive one-two punch in the Saints backfield. Ingram, 28, led the Saints with 230 carries for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also racking up 416 receiving yards on 58 catches. But with Ingram out of the lineup to start the season, New Orleans will rely heavily on Kamara to carry the load, as the only other running backs on the roster right now are rookie sixth-round pick Boston Scott, Trey Edmunds, Jonathan Williams and Daniel Lasco.
According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the four-game suspension will cost Ingram $941,176.
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