Jets’ Copeland finishes suspension, suing supplement company

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland is suing a company that sold a supplement he says was contaminated with a banned substance that didn’t appear on the product’s label.

Copeland practiced Wednesday for the first time this season after being suspended by the NFL for the first four regular season games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Copeland says he failed the test on April 15, and the NFL announced his suspension on Aug. 21.

He says he sent all the supplements he was taking to a third-party laboratory, which found one of them to have contained a substance banned by the NFL. He says the supplement was recommended by a nutritionist.

Copeland is planning to file a lawsuit later this week in New Jersey. He wouldn’t name the company or the supplement since it is a soon-to-be pending legal matter.