The Giants today added Tyler Sash to their 53-man roster but in the process lost another safety when the NFL announced that Will Hill has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances – the same punishment that forced Sash to miss the season's first four games.
Hill's suspension begins immediately. He will be eligible to return to the Giants' active roster on Monday, November 5, following the team's November 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Giants had received a roster exemption last week for Sash, who practiced but was not activated for the team's 41-27 victory yesterday over Cleveland.
Hill was suspended for using Adderral, the same medication for which Sash was suspended.
"I received a doctor's prescription for Adderall prior to signing with the Giants," Hill said. "Shortly after signing with the team, I was in a meeting with (director of player development) Charles Way, who reviewed the list of the league's banned substances. I knew at that point that this may be an issue. I was tested and the results came back that Adderall was in my system. I appealed but lost the appeal. I accept full responsibility for this situation, and it won't happen again. The Giants have given me a great opportunity when nobody else would, and I don't take that for granted. I feel badly this has happened. I will work hard and stay in great shape these next four weeks so I can come back and contribute to this team after my suspension."
Hill was signed as a free agent on May 14, after impressing the coaching staff as a tryout at the rookie minicamp. He has played in all five games this season and has seven tackles (six solo) on defense and four solo tackles and a forced fumble on special teams. Against Cleveland, Hill had three unassisted tackles and forced a fumble on a kickoff that was recovered by Stevie Brown and led to a Giants touchdown.
Sash, a second-year pro, was the Giants' sixth-round draft choice in 2011. As a rookie, he played in all 16 regular-season and four postseason games, with most of his action coming on special teams. He also saw action as a reserve defensive back. In the regular season, Sash had three tackles (two solo) on defense and 15 tackles (11 solo) on special teams, the second-highest total on the team (another rookie, Jacquian Williams, had 17). His postseason totals included two solo defensive tackles and five special-teams tackles (two solo).
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