NFL suspension roundup: Derek Wolfe, Sean Smith, Jabari Price

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another NFL suspension roundup.

The Denver Broncos will be without defensive end Derek Wolfe for four games following his suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Wolfe has been a regular starter for the Broncos since he was drafted in the second round in 2012.

“During the off-season I took a medication which is on the banned substance list,” Wolfe said in a statement on the team’s website. “The medication is not a substance which would enhance my on-field performance in any way and I genuinely was unaware that it was prohibited, but players are responsible for what is in their bodies.

“I will certainly exercise far greater caution in the future and will seek advice relating to the permissibility of any and all medications.”

In 2013, Wolfe missed five games at the end of the season and Denver’s Super Bowl run after suffering a seizure on the Broncos’ team bus following a spinal cord injury during a preseason game.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith was suspended for three games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse police after he pleaded guilty to DUI in April.

Smith, 28, was credited with defending 16 passes and had one interception last season.

The NFL also suspended Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jabari Price for two games for violating the substance abuse policy. Price pleaded guilty to careless driving in April after a DUI arrest.

Price, 22, played sparingly though he appeared in 14 games for the Vikings last season as a rookie out of North Carolina.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme