Saints Pro Bowl RB Mark Ingram suspended four games for violating NFL's PED policy
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Saints RB Mark Ingram is a two-time Pro Bowler.(Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)
New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram has been suspended the first four games of the upcoming season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.
The suspension leaves the Saints' rushing attack short-handed and gives a larger role to Alvin Kamara, who won the NFL's offensive rookie of the year award in 2017. Kamara started three games and served as an ideal complement to Ingram, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama.
The duo became the first teammates to reach 1,500 yards from scrimmage in the same season, a feat that helped drive the Saints to the NFC South crown.
The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune first reported Ingram's suspension Tuesday.
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Ingram will miss home games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, and road games at the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.
Ingram is heading into the final year of his contract. He's posted consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and scored a career-high 12 rushing touchdowns in 2017. But he could have his role as lead back usurped by Kamara by the time he returns in October and will almost certainly carry the stain of a suspension into the free agent market next year.
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
