GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers' depth at cornerback and on special teams suffered a setback Friday when the NFL announced third-year pro Demetri Goodson has been suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.
In a statement, the league said Goodson's ban is for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He's the second Packers defensive player to be suspended for the first four games. Goodson's discipline came nearly two months after defensive lineman Mike Pennel was docked four games for violating the substance-abuse policy.
Though Goodson played just 72 snaps on defense last season, he was a key factor in the Packers' improvement on special teams. He played the eighth-most plays on special teams for the Packers last season and ranked fourth on the team in special teams tackles.
Goodson, a sixth-round pick in 2014 out of Baylor who originally started his college career as a basketball player at Gonzaga, has appeared in 20 regular-season games in his first two seasons. Although he was not expected to challenge for a starting job this season, Goodson had the chance to move up the cornerback depth chart after Casey Hayward signed with the San Diego Chargers in free agency.
The league's announcement of the suspension indicates that all appeals, if any were filed, have been exhausted.
Last year, the Packers opened the season without defensive linemen Letroy Guion (suspended three games) and Datone Jones (one game). Both were suspended for marijuana-related issues.
