NFL bans Houston’s Autry from six games for doping

“In my 10-year NFL career, I have never used performance-enhancing drugs,” Autry said. “During that time, I have been subjected to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result.

“So I was shocked this offseason when I found out that one of my tests came back positive.”

Autry’s final season with the Tennessee Titans was the best of his ten-year career, as he recorded 30 solo tackles and assisted on 20 others with 11.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He apologized Monday to his teammates and fans as well as to the Texans organization, but blamed his pharmacy.

“A pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for another medication had intentionally, recklessly or negligently included a prohibited substance,” Autry said.

“I want to be clear: at no time did I know or even suspect that this medicine contained a prohibited substance.”

He said his attorneys provided the NFL with documents “establishing that I neither requested nor received a prescription for banned substances.”

“It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a prohibited substance,” he added.

That didn’t stop the NFL from banning Autry from playing in the Texans’ first six games of the upcoming 2024 season.

Autry will miss games against Indianapolis, Chicago, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Buffalo and New England before being cleared to return before an Oct. 20 game at Green Bay.

“I understand that under NFL policy, the ultimate responsibility for what goes into my body rests with me. To that end, while I intend to explore legal options regarding the circumstances that led to my positive test, I have accepted the NFL’s sanction of a six-game suspension,” Autry said.

The Texans will face Chicago on Thursday in the first preseason game before the 2024 campaign begins in September.