Giants wide receiver Golden Tate lost his appeal Tuesday and will be suspended the first four games of the regular season for a PED violation.
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 13, 2019
Tate said in a statement last month that he was taking a prescribed medicine as part of a family fertility program. He said that once he realized it included a banned substance he stopped and notified the league. The league's strict zero-tolerance policy won in the end. Tate tweeted out this statement Tuesday.
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) August 13, 2019The 30-year-old was signed after Big Blue traded star WR Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns. He can still practice and play in preseason as he did in last week's debut. The suspension begins September 2 and he is eligible to return to the team on September 30 after their Week 4 game against the Redskins.
The four games without pay will cost Tate around $1.797 million. Tate signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract with the Giants in the offseason. His base salary guarantees now for 2020 will also void.
Barring an injury, Tate will make his Giants debut in Week 5 on October 6 when the Giants take on the Vikings at MetLife Stadium.
They will have to go a quarter of the season without their top receiver. Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler and Russell Shepard will have to step up in his place.
