Markus Bailey, a linebacker with the Cardinals, received a six-game suspension from the NFL on Tuesday. The NFL also stated that Bailey’s ban resulted from a positive PED test.

Bailey’s legal team released a statement regarding his ban later that day, on Tuesday. Bailey’s positive result “probably came from inadvertent ingestion of a contaminated supplement or medication,” they said, blaming the NFL’s “unforgiving strict liability policy” for PED use. They also pointed out that Bailey had tested clean less than a month prior.

In a statement to X, Bailey himself described his positive test as “clearly a contamination issue with only 0.05 nanograms found,” but he also stated that he had chosen to accept the suspension under the existing regulations.

The complete statements are available below.

I would never have taken a prohibited substance on purpose. With only 0.05 nanograms detected, it was obvious that there was contamination, but because of the NFL’s stringent liability policy, it was preferable for the team and myself to accept the ban at this time.

Currently on Arizona’s practice squad, the 27-year-old Bailey, a former seventh-round draft pick, has made only one appearance for the team this season. Bailey will not be able to return until Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers, the last game of the regular season, due to a six-game ban.

An even more well-known NFL player argued against the league’s PED policy a few seasons ago, attributing his positive PED test to a tainted sample that contained a minuscule quantity of a prohibited substance. Bailey is now putting up the same argument and expressing his assertions in a very public manner.