NFL notebook: Saints RB Ingram receives 4-game suspension

[May 09, 2018]  New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2018 season due to violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the league announced Tuesday.

Ingram will be eligible to return to the Saints on Oct. 1, one day after a contest against the New York Giants. Ingram is allowed to participate in offseason workouts and training camp as well as play in preseason games.

Ingram hasn't been participating in New Orleans' voluntary workouts as he reportedly seeks a new contract. He was slated to earn $4 million in base salary in 2018, and the suspension will cost him $1 million in pay.

Ingram rushed for career highs of 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and added 58 catches for 416 yards (also career bests) while making the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career. Second-year pro Alvin Kamara -- the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season -- figures to receive a larger workload during Ingram's suspension.

--San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster appeared before a judge at a plea hearing at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif., and entered a response of not guilty in the case related to a domestic violence incident that carries three formal charges.

New details emerged when police reports including 911 dispatch calls from the February incident were released. The alleged victim, Elissa Ennis, told police she was punched 10 times and estimated the pain from the blows to her head at an 8 on a scale of 10; Ennis also said the fight began the night before and that Foster threw her dog across the room.

Investigators also revealed two weapons were discovered on the scene: a loaded .38-caliber pistol and a Sig Sauer short-barreled rifle. The latter was found on the floor of the bathroom with a loaded 30-round magazine and a round in the chamber. Foster is charged with felony possession of an assault weapon in relation to the Sig Sauer.

--Johnny Manziel was hospitalized with what he called an adverse reaction to prescription medication after he attended the JMBLYA music festival in Houston on Sunday.

Denise Michaels, Manziel's representative, told TMZ, "It seems like he had a reaction to an adjustment in his prescription. He's fine and headed home."

"Thank you everyone for your concern and kind messages," Manziel wrote on Instagram. "Unfortunately I had a reaction to an increased dosage in lithium which I take for my bipolar disorder. It was a scary moment and I'm especially grateful for the staff at the hospital and all that they've done in the last 24 hours."

--Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is approaching full health seven months after a left tibial plateau fracture ended his 2017 season.

Watt suffered a season-ending injury for the second consecutive season and, at age 29, is gearing up to be on the field for keeps when the Texans open the 2018 season. He should be at full strength for training camp after playing in only eight total games the past two seasons.

"Like I said earlier in the offseason, I could tell you I'm feeling unbelievable (or) I could tell you I'm feeling super (bad) -- you won't know until I hit the field," Watt said. "Just show up to training camp, watch how I play and then you can decide for yourself how I look."

--The Washington Redskins have re-signed starting left guard Shawn Lauvao.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Lauvao, 30, has started all 41 of the games he's played in for the Redskins over the past four seasons, though he has yet to play a full 16-game slate with Washington. He spent the first four years of his career with the Cleveland Browns after they selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft.

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.