Scandrick suspended for PEDs

— -- OXNARD, Calif. -- The NFL has suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick for the first four games of the season, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Monday.

Scandrick was found to be in violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. A league source said Scandrick took a supplement that included a substance outlawed by the NFL. 

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Scandrick failed a drug test in April and appealed its findings. The league rendered its decision Monday.

In a statement released through his agent, Ron Slavin, Scandrick insisted he did not knowingly take a banned substance.

"I would like to apologize to my children, my family, the Jones Family, my coaches, my teammates and my fans," Scandrick said in the statement. "Failing a drug test is far out of my character, and although I never knowingly took a performance-enhancing drug/banned stimulant while on vacation in Mexico, I take full responsibility for what goes in my body and more importantly for the embarrassment of a failed drug test. 

The last known Cowboys player to be suspended for violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy was defensive back Marcus Coleman, who was released in October of the 2006 season after he served a four-game suspension and was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.