QB Jimmy Garoppolo on suspension: ‘Just messed up’ Therapeutic Use Exemption
Jimmy Garoppolo, the Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback, has been suspended for the first two games of the 2024 season after violating the NFL’s rules on performance-enhancing substances. The former Raiders quarterback stated Tuesday that the two-game suspension resulted from a mistake with the Therapeutic Use Exemption.
“I mean, just messed up the TUE, really,” Garoppolo stated, according to the team’s official transcript. “I hate to joke about it, but just messed up the TUE when I first got to Las Vegas and yeah, bad timing, I guess.”
Garoppolo signed a one-year contract with the Rams this offseason to backup Matthew Stafford. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the contract’s base value is $4.5 million and its maximum worth is $12 million dependent on incentives.
Jimmy G is able to participate in the Rams summer programme, including training camp and the preseason, before being placed on the suspended list for the first two weeks of the season. He stated that he intends to “attack” preseason work to compensate for the time missed.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some dubs and start off 2-0 and keep things moving,” Garoppolo stated in a press conference. “But this is just one of those moments. It’s what it is. You have to deal with it, keep moving forward, and be positive.”
Garoppolo played one season for the Raiders, suffering with injuries and ineffective play before being benched and then released. After inconsistent play and a slew of injuries in San Francisco, Garoppolo sees playing under Sean McVay as an opportunity to reestablish his credibility in the NFL, much like Baker Mayfield did two years ago in a similar position.
“Sean’s a phenomenal offensive mind, and a lot of the guys around here are, and I think that plays a big part in reinventing, whatever you want to call it, a quarterback, having good people around you,” Garoppolo said in an interview. “You aren’t going to do everything. You need people around you to put you in excellent positions, call the appropriate plays, and do the little things. And, yes, I recognised this chance and became enthusiastic. “It just felt right.”
Stafford missed one game in 2023 due to injury and sat out the regular-season finale with his postseason ticket already booked. In 2022, he missed eight games as the Rams’ season stalled. Stafford was previously known as a warrior who could play through injuries. L.A. hopes this is the case again, but if the 36-year-old quarterback is injured, Jimmy G will return to the field for the Rams — after Week 2.
