Why is DeAndre Hopkins banned for Cardinals’ first six NFL games?
DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first six games of 2022 due to a PED ban, but Larry Fitzgerald does not think it will impact his legacy.
Larry Fitzgerald does not believe DeAndre Hopkins’ PED suspension will have any impact on his long-term legacy.
All-Pro wide receiver Hopkins was this month suspended for the first six games of the 2022 campaign for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The news served as a substantial blow to the Arizona Cardinals and their hopes of success in the coming season.
But Cardinals legend and former team-mate Fitzgerald rejected talk of the ban tarnishing Hopkins’ reputation.
Fitzgerald: “He’ll still be a Hall of Famer”
“I don’t think so,” Fitzgerald said when asked by TMZ if he thought the suspension would taint Hopkins’ legacy.
“He’ll still be a Hall of Famer. He’s talented. He’ll work through it. It’s just some adversity and, you know, he’s a tough guy, resourceful, and he’ll work his way through it.”
The Cardinals may have a tougher time working their way through his 2022 absence.
With Hopkins on the field last year in the regular season, they went 8-2, averaging 30.2 points per game. In the seven games he missed through injury, the Cardinals were 3-4, scoring 21 points per game.
They start their 2022 campaign with an extremely difficult assignment, hosting a Kansas City Chiefs team that has reached the AFC Championship Game in each of the last four seasons.