:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46070626/usa-today-8386476.0.jpg)
According to Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots will have to start their quest to repeat as world champions without starting running back LeGarrette Blount - he has been suspended for the first game of the 2015 regular season:
NFL says it has suspended Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount for this year's regular-season opener.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 7, 2015
The Patriots originally acquired Blount via trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013. After spending the entire season with New England, he left in free agency and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers (a team the Patriots might face on opening weekend), who cut Blount midway through the 2014 season. He re-joined the Patriots on a two-year deal and helped the team reach and win Super Bowl XLIX.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the suspension happened because of a violation of the league's substance abuse policy, probably stemming from an August 2014 arrest for marijuana possession:
#Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount was suspended for the first game of the 2015 season for violating the NFL Policy for Substances of Abuse.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 7, 2015
According to the Boston Globe's Shalise Manza Young, Blount is still eligible to participate in the team's offseason workout program as well as training camp.