EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate III never hesitated to take a prescribed fertility drug because the doctor who wrote the prescription told him he had given it to other NFL players and it was not banned.
Speaking to reporters a day after an independent arbiter upheld his suspension for the first four games of the regular season, Tate said Wednesday he’s considering legal action against the doctor to recover the $1.2 million in salary he will lose during his suspension. He did not identify the doctor.
Tate said he was frustrated, accepted both the blame and the punishment, and added he was having a tough time for letting down his teammates and the organization.
“I have been thinking about this since April and May,” Tate said. “This has been on my mind. I have lost a lot of sleep. It’s kind of hurt me to my core having to explain to the organization what is going on. I’m just ready to move forward. I just want to play football. You look at me. I am not trying to cheat.”
Tate signed a $37.5 million contract as a free agent in March. He said he started taking a fertility drug in April, and a couple days later he was randomly tested for drugs by the league. He learned shortly after that the drug, which he said was clomifene, was a banned substance.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, players can use fertility drugs, but they must get prior approval. Tate did not.
49ERS: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a practice to forget in his final session before facing an opposing defense for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury in September.
Garoppolo threw interceptions on five straight pass attempts, by far his worst session since his return from the torn ACL that cut short his 2018 season after three games.
“I was the defensive coach today so I was pumped,” Coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The defense did great today. Obviously, he struggled. You hope to never have a day like that. But I don’t think it’s never not happened to anyone. When you do that, you hope you can practice long enough and you have a chance to play out of it.”
Shanahan said he hopes a practice like this will be a learning experience for Garoppolo on how to deal with frustration when things don’t go the right way in games.
Garoppolo will get a chance to rebound when the 49ers hold joint practices with the Denver Broncos on Friday and Saturday in preparation for an exhibition game Monday night.
DOLPHINS: Receiver Kenny Stills says he has spoken to team owner Steve Ross following their social media spat last week, and both have somewhat come to terms with their respective political views.
Stills called out Ross on Twitter last week for hosting a fundraiser for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, despite the owner’s work to champion social causes like equality, diversity and inclusion since he bought the team in 2009.
“Our conversation was short, and we agreed to disagree,” Stills said. “We both said there weren’t any hard feelings, and our focus is on trying to win games this year.”
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