As Wes Welker fumed over a report that he took the drug "Molly" at the Kentucky Derby, the Denver Broncos star was told by the NFL that he had violated the league's performance-enhancement drug policy and will miss the first four games of the season.
According to website
Pro Football Talk, a league source said Welker ran afoul of the PED policy by taking MDMA at the derby in May that had been cut with amphetamines, a banned substance.
MDMA, or "Molly," is a synthetic, psychoactive drug that has similarities to the stimulant amphetamine that produces feelings of increased energy, euphoria and distortions in sensory and time perception,
according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
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The NFL said Welker tested positive for an amphetamine, Adderall to be more exact, a source told the
Denver Post. Welker told the newspaper he wondered if someone had put something into his drink at the Kentucky Derby.
"I wouldn't have any idea where to get a Molly or what a Molly is," Welker told the newspaper. "That's a joke. I don't do marijuana, I don't do drugs. I don't do any drugs."
The news comes as a stunner as the Broncos prepare to defend its AFC title in hopes to return to the Super Bowl. Welker's departure takes away one of Peyton Manning's favorite receiving targets as Denver gets ready to difficult stretch of games with Indianapolis, Kansas City, Seattle and Arizona.
"I'm as shocked as everyone at today's news," Welker told the Post on Tuesday. "I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I would never knowingly take a substance to gain a competitive advantage in any way."
"Anyone who has ever played a down with me, lifted a weight with me, even eaten a meal with me, knows that I focus purely on what I put in my body and on the hard work I put in year round to perform at the highest levels year-in and year-out," said Welker.
Welker caught 73 passes for 778 yards in 10 touchdowns in his first season with Denver last year as the Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl,
according to Boston.com. Before that, Welker played for the New England Patriots from 2007-12, where he caught 672 catches in 94 games for 7,459 yards and 37 touchdowns and named to the Pro Bowl five times.
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