Brackins May Have Failed Banned Substance Test, By: Roy Cummings

07/31/06

LAKE BUENA VISTA - The decision to cut second-year receiver Larry Brackins may have been the result of more than a need to free up a roster spot.

Brackins, drafted in the fifth round last year, has been suspended for four games by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, a penalty usually associated with a failed banned substance test.

Notice of the suspension came in a league's Personnel Notice dated July 27 and under the title Suspension of a Free Agent. It is possible, however, that the Bucs knew of the pending transaction before they cut Brackins on Tuesday.

According to the NFL's steroid policy, players who test positive once for steroids get a four-game suspension. A second offense nets a six-game suspension, and a third offense costs a player a season.

A call to Brackins' agent was not returned. A Bucs spokesman said the team would not comment on its reason for cutting a player.