What happened to Amani Bledsoe? Ex-Falcons DE hit with massive punishment ahead of 2023 NFL season

Amani Bledsoe has barely played in the NFL, and he is now facing the longest absence of his career.

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that it was suspending Bledsoe for 17 weeks, the equivalent of a season's worth of games, for a violation of its PED policy. He was with the Atlanta Falcons throughout 2022, but did not play a game, instead sitting on the practice roster. He was released last month.

As it turns out, though, this is not the first time the defensive end has been suspended for PED use. This issue has persisted throughout his career.

A look at Amani Bledsoe's past drug problems

Even before entering the NFL, Amani Bledsoe had already had his fair share of substance issues. In 2016, during his first year of college play with Oklahoma, he was suspended for six games (four that year and two the next) for failing a drug test.

Bledsoe, however, claimed that the positive result was caused by a tainted protein powder. Cody Stavenhagen, then working for Tulsa World, wrote:

"Testing revealed the Inner Armour substance contained clomiphene, but Bledsoe's other powder and vitamins did not. After the testing, the laboratory purchased and tested another container of Inner Armour, and the test came back negative."

Bledsoe eventually filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, contending that it had been a state actor and thus violated his right to due process. It was eventually dismissed.

Upon entering the NFL in 2019, Bledsoe joined the Tennessee Titans, where he never made the active roster. Afterwards, he joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and had a relatively clean season, missing only two games because of COVID-19 protocols.

However, upon returning to the Titans in 2021, Amani Bledsoe was suspended after the season for a violation of the PED policy. The suspension covered the first six games of 2022.

What other players have been suspended for violating the NFL's PED policy ahead of 2023?

Safety Sean Chandler has also been suspended for violating the NFL's PED policy

Bledsoe is just the latest NFL player to fall afoul of the NFL's widely unpopular (for players, at least) PED policy, which bans the use of steroids like exogenous testosterone, as well as growth hormones. Earlier this March, former Panthers safety Sean Chandler was banned from the first two games of the 2023 season for his first violation (which can warrant up to six games out).

Including Bledsoe and Chandler, there have been 258 PED suspensions in the NFL. Some of the highest-profile stars embroiled in recent times include current top receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defenders Brian Cushing and Patrick Peterson.

Since Amani Bledsoe is a second-time offender, he would normally have received a 10-game ban. However, in this case, the NFL may have considered his college drug issues into account, hence the heftier penalty.