TORONTO — Hamilton wide receiver Mike Jones says he doesn’t know how a banned substance showed up in a doping test, costing him two games with the Tiger-Cats.
The CFL announced Tuesday that Jones has been suspended for two games after testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid outlawed by the joint drug policy of the league and the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.
“I had never heard of this substance, and I have never intentionally consumed it,” Jones said in a statement. “In fact, I had each of my supplements checked on two occasions, and each time they were deemed safe. I cannot say exactly how dehydrochlormethyltestosterone was found in my urine, but I am both responsible and accountable for what’s found in my body.”
Jones, a first-time offender, said he was informed of the positive test by the CFL Players’ Association following the Ticats’ game versus Saskatchewan on Sept. 15. He’ll be suspended for game action effective immediately, but it’s up to the Ticats to determine whether he can participate in other team activities, such as practices and meetings.
Players who test positive under the policy face a two-game suspension for a first doping violation, a nine-game suspension for a second violation, a one-year suspension for a third violation, and a lifetime ban for a fourth violation.
Jones, a Toronto-born second-year player out of Southern University, has 25 receptions for 267 yards in 11 appearances with the Ticats this season.