Amani Bledsoe Suing NCAA over 1-Year Suspension for Positive PED Test
Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe reportedly has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in an effort to lift a one-year suspension.
On Monday, Cody Stavenhagen of the Tulsa World reported the news, noting the NCAA issued the one-year suspension last season after Bledsoe failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs. According to Stavenhagen, the civil lawsuit wants the NCAA to lift the suspension and restore a year of eligibility for the lineman.
Bledsoe's suspension goes through Oct. 5 this season, meaning he missed the final six games of his freshman campaign in 2016 and will miss the remaining two of the Sooners' opening four games this year. His first game back will be Oct. 7 against Iowa State if the penalty is not lifted.
This comes after the NCAA denied Bledsoe's appeal on Dec. 5, per Stavenhagen.
Stavenhagen cited court documents when describing what happened leading to the suspension. Bledsoe allegedly took a serving of Inner Armour protein powder from a teammate when he ran out of the whey protein he typically used and failed a random drug test involving two urine samples in the aftermath.
Bledsoe tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene and tested positive again for it in his B sample.
"Testing revealed the Inner Armour substance contained clomiphene, but Bledsoe's other powder and vitamins did not," Stavenhagen wrote. "After the testing, the laboratory purchased and tested another container of Inner Armour, and the test came back negative."
Bledsoe appeared in two games for the Sooners last season and tallied three total tackles. His team has performed well without him in 2017, beating UTEP and Ohio State in its opening two contests and climbing to No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings.
