Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker will not play in Week 1 but it is not because of a concussion suffered during the preseason.
Instead the NFL has suspended the pass catching target of Peyton Manning for using amphetamines during the offseason.
“I’m as shocked as everyone at todays news,” Welker said in an e-mail to The Denver Post. “I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I would NEVER knowingly take a substance to gain a competitive advantage in any way. Anyone who has ever played a down with me, lifted a weight with me, even eaten a meal with me, knows that I focus purely on what I put in my body and on the hard work I put in year round to perform at the highest levels year-in and year-out.”
Neither the NFL or Welker will confirm exactly what he tested positive for though Welker told the Denver Post that reports that he used Molly, commonly known as ecstasy, were incorrect.
“I wouldn’t have any idea where to get a Molly or what a Molly is,” he said. “That’s a joke. I don’t do marijuana, I don’t do drugs. I don’t do any drugs.”
The Broncos were aware of the impending suspension of Welker but had held out hope that an appeal would overturn it.
FANTASY IMPACT: Welker caught 73 passes for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Broncos. He was already questionable to start Week 1 with a concussion now he will be out four games. This obviously gives him time to become healthy but comes at an obvious decline in statistics.
