I don’t have anybody to be mad at but myself,” said Hoecht, who added receiving the letter he tested positive was the lowest point of his life. “I would like to be a voice of caution to anyone within the NFL to learn from my mistake. As much as you think you can trust people, you think they have your best interest at heart, that responsibility always falls on you.”
“It was careless,” Hoecht said. “My singular focus is to prove not only to myself, but everyone around the Buffalo organization that I am who I say I am.”
Hoecht is a high-motor player and “versatile chess piece” that Buffalo has eyed for more than a year, Beane said.
Ogunjobi informed the Bills when he received notice of his PED suspension. By then, several other defensive tackles had signed with other NFL teams so Buffalo decided to honor the agreement, Beane said.
“(Ogunjobi), he was Pittsburgh Man of the Year. He’s he’s a good man,” Beane said. “He’s played eight years in the league and never had a blip. That’s obviously frustrating for him and a little bit of a setback for us, but we talked it through.”
Ogunjobi was the Steelers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2024.
Ogunjobi doesn’t know what substance generated his suspension.
“I think it was a tainted supplement,” Ogunjobi said. “We have an obligation to understand what we put in our body, and I take full responsibility for that.”
Ogunjobi has 361 career tackles and 27.5 sacks in 124 career games, including 108 starts, with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hoecht and Ogunjobi can participate in OTAs, minicamp, training and the preseason but then must be away from all team facilities for four weeks. They can re-join the team for two weeks and are eligible to play Buffalo’s seventh game of the season, Week 7 or Week 8 depending on the Bills’ bye week.
“It’s not ideal to have two guys with that. But both guys have never had any issues off the field,” Beane said. “You know, it’s a tough lesson of where do you get your supplements, or whatever happened.”
Buffalo will receive additional salary cap relief when the players serve the suspensions because they won’t be paid for the first six games.
Hoecht signed a three-year, $21 million contract and Ogunjobi agreed to a one-year, $8.3 million deal.
What is the NFL drug test policy?
- April 20-Aug. 9: All players receive one annual test under the SOA (substance of abuse) policy
- Training camp: All players receive one annual test under the PES (performance-enhancing substance) policy
- Any day of year: Random testing for performance enhancing substances
- Offseason: Players may be tested up to six times
SOA tests can be administered up to 10 times per month. PES tests can be administered a maximum of 24 times per year.
What substances does the NFL test for?
- Cocaine
- Synthetic Marijuana
- Amphetamines (includes Adderall)
- Opiates
- Opioids
- PCP
- MDMA (i.e., ecstasy, molly)
What performance enhancing substances does the NFL test for?
- Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids (e.g., testosterone, nandrolone, turinabol)
- Protein and Peptide Hormones (e.g., hGH, GHRP, BPC 157)
- Anti-estrogenic Agents (e.g., tamoxifen)
- Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS) (e.g., Ostarine)
- Diuretics (e.g., chlorothiazide)
- Stimulants (e.g., amphetamines, Ritalin, ephedrine)
- Gene Doping (e.g., GW1516)
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