Johnson on expected suspension: The NFLPA does not stand up for players
Lane Johnson said he purchased basic amino acids online, checked the ingredients with a smartphone application offered by the NFL Players' Association, and believed it was an approved supplement.
Lane Johnson said he purchased basic amino acids online, checked the ingredients with a smartphone application offered by the NFL Players' Association, and believed it was an approved supplement.
Drug tests indicated otherwise, and the Eagles tackle is expecting to be levied a 10-game suspension for a second violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. His ire is directed at the NFLPA.
"Every supplement I've taken has been approved by the Aegis Shield app, which the NFLPA gives us," Johnson said. "Having said that, I've talked to the NFLPA. They do not test the products, so there's no backing from them."
Johnson is waiting for a second sample to arrive to be tested in about 2-3 weeks. He's not confident the second sample will reveal anything different than the first, and said there's nothing he can do to avoid the suspension because the NFL holds him responsible for what's in his body.
The Eagles are already preparing for life without Johnson, relegating him to the second-team offense in Saturday's practice and moving Allen Barbre from left guard to right tackle. Rookie Isaac Seumalo played with the starters at left guard. Johnson said it was "smart" of the Eagles to make those changes.
"There's no worse feeling than having to go through this again," said Johnson, who admitted he was at fault for his 2014 violation. "It's nothing I ever want to be a part of again. I learned my lesson. I feel like the players have no rights. I feel the supplement industry is not regulated, so you do not know what's in it.
"It's hard to believe coming from a second-time offender. I want that to be clear: The NFLPA does not stand up for players. They don't check the supplements. They give us an app. And when you call them and ask them if you test positive for something they approve, it doesn't matter."
The NFLPA said in a statement that it always stands up for its players and that Johnson's comments are "factually inaccurate." The union said it does not approve any supplements or substances. It also said that even though the Aegis app might offer a green check for a supplement, players are "constantly reminded" that the supplement provider may not list certain ingredients. That message is conveyed in every team meeting about the app. They also said Johnson could have used their services to find out what was in the supplement.
"For several years, the NFLPA has provided a free service to every NFL player who wishes to have us test a supplement they send to us and this service was offered to Lane," the statement said.
Johnson's agent, Ken Sarnoff, said in a statement that the NFLPA is paid to put the rights and interest of the players first, and he expects it to do so with Johnson. He also wants the NFLPA to "take all appropriate steps to determine the cause of any leak and remediate this issue immediately."
Johnson said if he checked with the team, the trainer would have just looked up the ingredients on the label. He believed he was in the clear because he used the app and said he has "nothing to hide."
Johnson insisted he did "everything on my part." However, he also said "if you test positive, it's your own fault." That seemed to be the position of coach Doug Pederson, a former player who did not want to get into what could have been done differently.
"You just got to be smart with what you put in your body," Pederson said. "Everybody's responsible for that. I'm responsible for what I put in my body. At the end of the day, you just got to make good choices that way."
That was why Pederson and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland made the changes to the offensive line on Saturday. Barbre, who initially replaced Johnson during Johnson's 2014 suspension, was the first player to try right tackle. He said his previous experience at the position helped, and now he's just trying to relearn the position after getting comfortable at left guard. Pederson said he likes Barbre's athleticism and intelligence, and will take the next couple of days schooling Barbre at the position. Pederson also said he's not worried about the offensive line, which was relying on Johnson as one of its most consistent players.
"I'm really not," Pederson said. "I look back to our days in Kansas City. We had a lot of injuries there and we were moving guys around, and we had a young left tackle early on. We made it work. I'm looking for five tough, dirty, nasty guys that want to go out and just play football. I don't care which five it is, but we're going to find the best five and the right five, and I feel like we've got them here on the team."
It does not look like it will include Johnson early in the season. He expects to hear back from the league around Week 1. And whenever the 10-game suspension begins, Johnson will lament a second violation of the league's policy.
"It's been a nightmare," Johnson said. "I've known this for a couple weeks and act like nothing's wrong. Last thing I want [is] to be labeled as a cheater."
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