DENVER, July 7 (UPI) -- Punter Todd Sauerbrun of the Denver Broncos will miss the first four games of the 2006 season because of a failed drug test, media reports say.
The various reports say Sauerbrun recently tested positive for the supplement ephedra.
The Denver Post said a source close to the situation confirmed the result. Neither the team nor the NFL has commented on the report.
Ephedra was placed on the banned substance list in the fall of 2001 following the death of Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer, who died from heatstroke on Aug. 1, 2001, in part to his use of the supplement.
Sauerbrun, an 11-year veteran out of West Virginia University, has a career 44-yard punting average in 162 games.
He also was linked to the Carolina Panthers' steroid scandal, and in December of 2004, was arrested for drunken driving.
He entered a guilty plea on that charge in May of 2005, was given a $100 fine, and one year of unsupervised probation.
