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New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s appeal to overturn his four-game suspension for performance-enhancing substances was denied. It was previously reported that part of the basis for his appeal would center around the fact that the supposed substance he tested positive for “wasn’t immediately recognizable.”
But as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports, the “unknown substance” was not actually a part of Edelman’s defense. Instead, his case was built solely on the paperwork and how the evidence was handled, which obviously wasn’t strong enough to overturn the suspension.
When the report of the supposed anomaly with the substance came out, there was the sense that it was possible Edelman was incorrectly flagged for a PED. However, the fact that his defense team didn’t even include it in their case seemed to suggest that it wasn’t as meaningful as initially believed.
But with the suspension and the appeal all done and dusted, Edelman and the Patriots will now have to put all of that behind them and focus on preparing for the upcoming season. For Edelman, it means getting back to full strength after tearing his ACL last season.
And for the Patriots, they must find a way to once again survive without Edelman like they did so successfully last season. With both Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola gone, the likes of Jordan Matthews, Malcolm Mitchell, and Cordarrelle Patterson, and rookie Braxton Berrios will be called upon to step up and become reliable receiving options for Tom Brady in Edelman’s absence.
