On Wednesday afternoon, the NFL announced that Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure was going to be suspended for two games without pay at the start of the 2012 season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.

Leshoure had been cited on two separate occasions over the course of a few weeks this offseason for marijuana possession, which is why a suspension was handed down instead of a fine. Following the announcement, the Detroit Lions released a statement regarding the action taken by the NFL.

Via the Detroit Lions official blog:

"We support the Commissioner's decision regarding Mikel and appreciate the dialogue that we have had with the League office concerning the matter," Lions president Tom Lewand said.

"As we have previously stated, we expect every member of our organization to uphold a greater standard of behavior. If that standard is not upheld, those responsible will be held accountable.

"Our belief and expectation is that Mikel will continue to learn from this experience and use it as positive motivation moving forward."

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