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Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus has been suspended for one game of the 2015 season, the NFL announced on Thursday afternoon.
The suspension comes after two separate legal situations from last season came to a close earlier this spring. Dareus' suspension relates only to one of those, though: a drug arrest that violated the league's substance abuse program.
Dareus will miss the team's Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, September 13. He'll be eligible to return in Week 2 in a highly important home date with the New England Patriots.
"Last year, I made a mistake involving possession of a banned substance," Dareus said in a team-issued statement. "The NFL's discipline for this conduct is part of the drug policy, and I apologize to my family, my teammates, the entire Bills organization and Bills fans that I will miss one game as a result of my mistake. I will work intensely that week and will be extremely happy to contribute to a win in week two for the Bills."
This will be the second consecutive season that a starting Bills defender will miss the season opener due to a drug-related suspension; linebacker Nigel Bradham sat out last year's season-opening win over Chicago for similar reasons.