Just In: Colts DE Receives Suspension
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Colts will not have practice squad defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad available for the rest of the regular season after the experienced defender got a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
According to Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports, Muhammad’s suspension will be without pay, and with only five games remaining in the regular season, his absence will either bleed over into the team’s first playoff game or the first game of the 2024 NFL season if the team misses the postseason and Muhammad finds himself under contract the following year.
This is the second time a Colts defensive lineman has received a six-game PED suspension, following defensive tackle Grover Stewart’s penalty in October. Stewart said at the time that he had taken the prohibited substance unknowingly but accepted responsibility for the error.
Muhammad is a seven-year veteran who began his career with New Orleans. He was cut by the Saints after his first season and signed with the Colts the next day. Muhammad originally found his place in the NFL in Indianapolis. Muhammad started 25 games over his four years with the team, including every game of the 2021 season. Muhammad posted career highs in sacks (6.0), total tackles (48), and quarterback hits (13) during that season two years ago.
Following his full year as a starter, Muhammad agreed to terms with the Bears on a two-year, $8MM contract. After starting the first nine games of his Chicago stint, Muhammad gave way to then-rookie fifth-round choice Dominique Robinson. Despite losing the starting job, Muhammad remained an important member of the rotation, frequently playing more defensive snaps than Robinson. After the season, the Bears made the cost-cutting decision to release Muhammad and free up some contract space. Muhammad has now returned to Indianapolis, joining to the team’s practice squad after being cut from the 53-man roster.
Though Muhammad has never been forced to miss time as a professional, this is not his first suspension. Muhammad was suspended for the entire season as a sophomore at the University of Miami following a fight with his former roommate at the team’s Spring Game. After returning for an outstanding 2014 season in which he recorded five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, Muhammad was suspended for the second time for his role in a luxury rental car scam that broke NCAA standards at the time in college football history. He was subsequently removed from the program and, although only appearing in 17 games as a Hurricane, was drafted in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints.
Muhammad has seen no in-season game play this year as a member of the Colts’ practice squad. Muhammad, who will turn 29 in the winter, is not doing himself any favors in his efforts to return to the field. He’ll miss his first full regular season, and unless he’s called up as a practice squad elevation in the Colts’ hypothetical second playoff game, he’ll go a year and a half without playing in an NFL game. Muhammad faces an uphill road to resume his NFL career after his ban.
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