New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon was suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2019 regular season for violating the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse, the NFL announced Friday.
The league stated that Herndon can participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games. He will be eligible to return to the Jets’ active roster on Oct. 7, after their Oct. 6 game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Herndon pleaded guilty on Jan. 9 to a charge of driving while intoxicated, stemming from a multi-car accident in June 2018 in Rockaway Township, N.J.
According to a Rockaway Township court spokesperson, he paid a $639 fine and his license was revoked for 90 days in New Jersey.
Herndon was arrested June 2, 2018, after his SUV allegedly hit another car at 4:45 a.m. on Interstate 80 about 20 minutes from the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, N.J. Herndon’s vehicle flipped and slid about 700 feet, and the vehicle he hit — which was transporting a vintage car — was totaled, according to police.
A witness told police Herndon was driving more than 100 mph, and police records showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.14 percent.
A fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Miami, Herndon finished with 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie while playing in all 16 games last season.
