The National Football League has announced that Christian Thompson will miss the first four games of the 2013 season while serving a suspension.
The Baltimore Ravens safety has been found to have breached the league's policy on substance abuse.
General manager Ozzie Newsome confirmed that the team had been aware that Thompson would face the suspension for some time.
The 22-year-old, who made his debut in the NFL in 2012, played seven games for the Super Bowl champions last year before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.
