The NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances (PES) Policy states: “Players may not, in the absence of a valid therapeutic use exemption (TUE), have Prohibited Substances in their systems.”

The NFL follows strict regulations for PES, but it also created a TUE portal to accommodate various medical conditions. If a player is seeking medical treatments with a prohibited substance, they must have their physician (MD/DO) file a TUE application. If not, a positive test “will constitute a positive test and will be referred for administrative action.” Veteran safety Nazeeh Johnson, however, despite taking the right steps, did not know the NFL’s full process and is now paying the consequences.
Making the situation worse, though, is his personal update.

“My wife and I were trying to conceive a child. We found out that I was infertile, and I took a fertility medication that was helping me try to conceive a baby,” he wrote. “I was not aware that there was a substance in the medication that was on the banned list, and I tested positive for a PED.

“Lesson to all NFL players and new players coming into the league: do not put anything in your body without following the process and getting approval beforehand. We lost our baby a few weeks ago, and this has been an incredibly difficult time for my wife and me.”

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Back in February, Johnson learned that he tested positive for PES. According to the Winchester Star, a Virginia newspaper, Johnson mentioned that he had taken the fertility medicine Clomid (clomiphene citrate) to help him and his wife, Gabrielle, conceive. Interestingly, Johnson did clear the initial steps, i.e., to confirm with a doctor if he can actually take the drug.

What we know so far

A doctor not affiliated with his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, had recommended the medicine to Johnson. But the safety did ask a Chiefs-affiliated doctor if he could take it and was told he could, as Robert Niedzwiecki of the Winchester Star reported. But things took a turn for the worse quickly.

When the test results returned in March, Johnson discovered being positive for E-clomiphene and its metabolite 4′-hydroxyclomiphene. However, standing by his words, he appealed the decision on July 22, which was rejected. Yet, Johnson was fine with it, considering his main goal was still going as planned.

“[Having a child], that’s the main thing I’m taking out of this,” he said earlier this month. “We did it all because of that. You can’t really be too upset.

“It was difficult [to learn that news], because I’m doing all these things to be able to have a child, not to get any advantages over anyone else in the league. I think it’s not fair. The league is a league that they push being family-oriented, but then when you do everything to have a family, you get penalized for it.” 

Johnson signed with the Titans on July 27, who already knew that a suspension was possibly in order. However, considering the pros over cons, the team decided to sign the veteran who could help add depth to their secondary, which has been its weakest unit. That plan, though, will have to wait.

The NFL announced its punishment decision on Nazeeh Johnson

While Johnson’s reasoning seems completely normal, a failure to inform the league could now put his future in jeopardy. As per the policies created by the NFL and the NFLPA, any player who fails to file a TUE is penalized.

On August 14, the NFL announced that Johnson will be suspended for six games beginning the regular season. He will be eligible for reinstatement on October 19, before the team hosts the Cleveland Browns. The decision still gives Johnson some hope.

The safety can play in the remaining preseason games against Seattle and Chicago. He can also attend team meetings two weeks ahead of the Week 7 matchup. However, he won’t be around the team until then. The timing still means that he has some disadvantage.

Nazeeh Johnson came to Tennessee having won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, and his 2024 performance was probably what convinced the head coach Robert Saleh to put his ring in. But this penalty means that not only does he not get paid for the first six weeks, but he also possibly misses a chance to be on the final roster. Meanwhile, Tennessee will now have to work without a veteran who was expected to provide experience and special-teams help.

Johnson had already made his preseason debut for the Titans and recorded five tackles in the Titans’ 19-13 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers while logging 37 of his 38 defensive snaps as an outside cornerback. He will hope to put in the work in the next two preseason games and get selected in the final roster. Until then, to begin the season, the team will have to look elsewhere for those snaps.

For Johnson, the football consequences are only part of the story. His message to other players is a reminder that even when there are difficult personal circumstances behind a medical decision, NFL players still have to follow the league’s processes or face the consequences later.