THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The NFL has suspended New York Giants rookie safety Will Hill for using Adderall, the same prescription drug that teammate Tyler Sash used.
The Giants announced Hill’s suspension on Monday, the same day they added Sash back to the 53-man roster, following his suspension, which was announced during training camp.
Hill’s suspension will begin immediately. He will be eligible to return to the Giants active roster on Nov. 5, the day after the Giants play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Giants had received a roster exemption last week for Sash, who practiced but was not activated for the team’s 41-27 victory yesterday over Cleveland.
"I received a doctor’s prescription for Adderall prior to signing with the Giants," Hill said. "Shortly after signing with the team, I was in a meeting with (director of player development) Charles Way, who reviewed the list of the league’s banned substances. I knew at that point that this may be an issue. I was tested and the results came back that Adderall was in my system. I appealed but lost the appeal. I accept full responsibility for this situation, and it won’t happen again."
Hill, a New Jersey native who played at Florida, was signed as a free agent on May 14 after a tryout at the rookie minicamp. He has played in all five games this season and has seven tackles (six solo) on defence and four solo tackles and a forced fumble on special teams. Against Cleveland, Hill had three unassisted tackles and forced a fumble on a kickoff that was recovered by Stevie Brown and led to a Giants touchdown.
A second-year pro, Sash was the Giants’ sixth-round draft choice in 2011. He played in all 16 regular-season and four post-season games, with most of his action coming on special teams.