Browns’ Tucker suspended

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Ryan Tucker was suspended Friday for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s steroid policy.

Tucker, one of Cleveland’s leaders on the field and in the locker room, missed part of last season with what the team called a “mental disorder.”

He says he is now healthy and is eligible to return to the roster Oct. 1, one day after the Browns play host to the Baltimore Ravens.

“I didn’t intend to compromise the integrity of the NFL, my team,” Tucker said after Friday’s morning practice. “I want to apologize to the fans, my family. It’s been a long road. I was pretty down and out last year, and in my attempt to come back I took a banned substance. I’m going to fulfill this punishment and get it behind me.”

Tucker, 32, will be allowed to stay with the Browns during training camp and preseason. However, Coach Romeo Crennel said he may not participate in team activities once the suspension without pay starts Sept. 1.

Tucker won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams and has been a solid performer since joining the Browns as a free agent in 2002. The 11-year veteran started all 16 games in 2005, and in 2003 he was the only Cleveland offensive player to be on the field for every snap.

He talked about “getting the respect and trust back of my teammates” earlier this week, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

Crennel said he would support Tucker but characterized the suspension as disappointing.

“We were counting on him,” Crennel said. “He’s an integral part of that offensive line and created some depth and competition for us. When you lose a guy like that it definitely hurts.”

Tucker’s suspension opens a big hole on Cleveland’s rebuilt offensive line. Kevin Shaffer or Kelly Butler probably will move into Tucker’s starting spot. Shaffer started at left tackle left season, but he probably was going to be replaced by Joe Thomas, a first-round draft pick from Wisconsin.

Rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson signed a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions, ending the No. 2 overall pick’s eight-day holdout. The signing allowed him to get into camp for workouts, where he was catching passes with the first-team offense.

Johnson was regarded by some as the best player in the draft after catching 78 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns during his All-American junior season at Georgia Tech. He won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top college receiver.

The Lions made room for Johnson on the roster by putting quarterback Drew Stanton -- a rookie second-round pick out of Michigan State -- on injured reserve, meaning he’s out for the season. Stanton had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier in the week.

Denver Broncos linebacker Warrick Holdman was released from a hospital, 24 hours after being treated for a spinal cord concussion following a collision with a teammate at training camp in Englewood, Colo.

The Broncos didn’t say when Holdman would be able to practice again. He was injured when he tried to tackle running back Mike Bell, who lowered his left shoulder and struck the 243-pound linebacker in the crown of his helmet.

Holdman crumpled to the grass and temporarily lost feeling in his extremities, although he could move his arms and legs by the time he was taken off the field to a waiting ambulance.

Holdman is a ninth-year pro in his first season in Denver after spending the last two years in Washington. He is among several veterans vying for the starting job at strong side linebacker.

Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan of the New York Giants probably will release a statement on his holdout over the weekend, according to his agent.

Strahan, 35, failed to report to training camp a week ago, hours after agent Tony Agnone stunned the Giants by telling them that Strahan was considering retirement after 14 NFL seasons.