The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... A statement released by Ingram‘s agents suggests that he will claim his pending suspension for violating the league’s PED policy stemmed from a legitimate medication — and also will claim that the test showing he took the medication was invalid. “Mark Ingram tested positive for a substance that was not a performance enhancing substance, nor an illegal substance, but a substance in fact permissible with the proper use exemption with the NFL,” the statement says. “He has vigorously challenged the test results through the arbitration process.”
Diehards Line:According to PFT's Mike Florio, the first part of the defense, that the substance is “permissible with the proper use exemption,” doesn’t mean much. If Ingram had the proper use exemption, the NFL wouldn’t have moved to suspend him in the first place. The second part of the defense, that Ingram “has vigorously challenged the test results,” would seem contradictory with the first defense. Whatever the case, an arbitrator’s ruling is expected within a week. Unless there’s more to Ingram’s appeal than his agents’ statement suggests, it’s hard to see him avoiding the suspension. Ingram was the leading rusher for the Saints last season but is reportedly unhappy with his contract and not planning to participate in voluntary offseason work.