Redblacks receiver Seth Coate suspended after testing positive for banned substance

Ottawa Redblacks receiver Seth Coate has been suspended for two games after testing positive for a banned substance.

The CFL said in a statement that Coate tested positive for the selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) LGD-4033. SARMs are therapeutic compounds that have anabolic properties similar to steroids, but without severe side effects.

It’s the first positive test for Coate, who faces a two-game suspension under the terms of the joint CFL/CFLPA drug policy.

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Coate was signed by Ottawa as a free agent on May 17. He has yet to play this season.

The native of Fort Wayne, Ind., apologized for the positive test in a statement released by the Redblacks and said that the substance was likely in a supplement he took in January.

“While we accept the penalty imposed by the CFL, we know the kind of person and player we have in Seth Coate and the Redblacks organization stands firm in its support for him,” Ottawa general manager Marcel Desjardins said in the release.