Stephen Hill Suspended for Substance-Abuse Violation: Comments and Reaction

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Stephen Hill received a one-game suspension Monday from the NFL for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Hill hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2013 with the New York Jets but was signed by the Panthers and placed on their practice squad in 2014.   

He was cut after tearing his ACL this past August during training camp but added to the roster and placed on the injured reserve list after clearing waivers, per Elliot Smith of CBSSports.com.

The 24-year-old was a second-round pick by the Jets and caught 45 passes for 594 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons with the club.

Hill was cited for a drug-paraphernalia charge in late July, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, leading to the suspension, but remained on the team.

Even though he is on IR, the suspension is noteworthy because Hill will lose a week's worth of salary, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

He will not appeal and begin serving the suspension right away, according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer:

The 10-0 Panthers, who play Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, had no plans to use the injured wide receiver, so this will have zero effect on the field moving forward.