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Titans defensive back hit with six-game ban believes positive PED test came from fertility drug

Nypost · · 406 words · By Bryan Fonseca
NFL PED Suspension Personal Health and Fertility
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What to know about NFL PED Suspension

But he now says his positive test for a performance-enhancing drug had nothing to do with football but with growing his family.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

But he now says his positive test for a performance-enhancing drug had nothing to do with football but with growing his family.

Why it matters

The Titans defensive back, who spent his last four seasons with the Chiefs, has been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2026 regular season for violating the NFL’s PED policy.

Common ground

News of the suspension broke Friday, and the Titans noted that Johnson is eligible for the team’s preseason activities, including games, but won’t be available to play in the regular season until Oct.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/15/sports/titans-nazeeh-johnson-believes-positive-ped…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Appeal to Pity 80% confidence
Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
report Misleading 1
verified
Claim 1: “After being selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple news reports confirm he was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chiefs.
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web search NEUTRAL — Johnson was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He will likely be in a backup role or on special teams, but anything is possible given the amount of uncertainty surrounding Kansas…
https://www.wric.com/sports/meet-the-six-players-from-virgin…
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web search NEUTRAL — Johnson, a seventh-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft, spent the last four seasons in Kansas City. Johnson played in 29 career games, with six starts, from 2022-2025, and he was credited w…
https://www.tennesseetitans.com/news/titans-sign-db-nazeeh-j…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With four picks remaining in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson came off the board as a seventh-round selection of the Kansas City Chiefs. The No. 259 overall pick in the draft, Johnson was the final defensi…
https://wvmetronews.com/2022/05/01/marshall-safety-nazeeh-jo…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 2: “Nazeeh Johnson has been suspended.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including Nbcwashington and various web search results, confirm that Nazeeh Johnson has been suspended.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — The NFL also suspended Washington Commanders edge rusher Dorance Armstrong, Tennessee Titans safety Nazeeh Johnson and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/james-pearce-j…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Johnson was suspended six games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancers.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/james-pearce-j…
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Claim 3: “played significant time in 2024, starting in six of his 16 regular season appearances, recording 56 tackles, three passes deflected and one sack.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “Johnson, who signed with the Titans in July”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm he signed with the Tennessee Titans, and CBS Sports reports the signing occurred in the context of his move after the 2025 season.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson (born July 17, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd and was selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazeeh_Johnson
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Latrell McCutchin Sr. (born November 15, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Houston Cougars, the Oklahoma Sooners and for the USC Trojans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrell_McCutchin_Sr.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew Lauter (born September 20, 2002) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Boise State Broncos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Lauter
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 5: “Johnson missed 2023 due to a torn ACL”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 6: “the Titans noted that Johnson is eligible for the team’s preseason activities, including games, but won’t be available to play in the regular season until Oct. 19”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a quote from Jim Wyatt, confirm he is eligible for preseason activities but not the regular season until October 19.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson (born July 17, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd and was selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazeeh_Johnson
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall, their ninth under the leadership of general manager Brett Veach and their 13th under head co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew Lauter (born September 20, 2002) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Boise State Broncos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Lauter
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 7: “Johnson played 14 regular season and playoff games in a limited role while being a piece of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning team that year.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific number of games (14) or his specific role during the 2022 Super Bowl season.
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Claim 8: “his positive test resulted from medication he was taking while undergoing fertility treatment with his wife.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that Johnson stated the positive test was the result of fertility medication taken with his wife.
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web search NEUTRAL — Titans defensive back Nazeeh Johnson says a fertility medication caused his positive PED test and six-game NFL suspension to open the 2026 season.
https://www.thebiglead.com/titans-nazeeh-johnson-says-positi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson of the Tennessee Titans is suspended for the club’s first six regular season games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy. Johnson is eligible to pa…
https://atozsports.com/nfl/tennessee-titans-news/nazeeh-john…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Johnson released a statement saying that he took a fertility medication without knowing that it was on the league’s list of banned substances.I was not aware that there was a substance in the medicati…
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/new…
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Claim 9: “dealt with a shoulder injury for most of 2025, playing just two games.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports) confirm a shoulder injury limited him to two games in 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — However, a shoulder injury limited to two regular-season games and just a single defensive snap in 2025. Now healthy, Johnson will look for a fresh start in the Titans' secondary rotation.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/titans-nazee…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Players. Injuries. Odds. Super Bowl.A shoulder injury limited Johnson to just two games in 2025, and he played exclusively on special teams.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nazeeh-johnson-visiting-ea…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson's story is a heartbreaker and not because he learned on Friday that the NFL is suspending him six games for violating league policy. The violation is apparently linked to the Tennessee …
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-player-reveals-suspension…
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Claim 10: “The Titans defensive back, who spent his last four seasons with the Chiefs”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms he was drafted by the Chiefs in 2022, and web search results explicitly state he spent the last four seasons (2022-2025) in Kansas City before joining the Titans.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 55th in the National Football League (NFL), their 65th overall and their 12th under head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs entered the season as the defending cha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall, their ninth under the leadership of general manager Brett Veach and their 13th under head co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson (born July 17, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd and was selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazeeh_Johnson
report
Claim 11: “Married last June”
MISLEADING
While sources mention a wedding ceremony in June, they explicitly reveal that the couple had actually been married since 2023, making the claim 'Married last June' (referring to 2025) technically a public ceremony rather than the legal marriage date.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ahmad is the debut studio album by American rapper Ahmad. It was released on May 24, 1994, through Giant/Reprise Records. It was produced by Redfoo, Brian C. Walls, Maurice Thompson, and Ahmad, who al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_(album)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Latrell McCutchin Sr. (born November 15, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Houston Cougars, the Oklahoma Sooners and for the USC Trojans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrell_McCutchin_Sr.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Millbrook School is a high school located in Winchester, Virginia. The school is one of three high schools in the Frederick County Public School System. It is one of the newest schools in the area, ha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millbrook_High_School_(Virgini…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “He was also a starter during the team’s run to Super Bowl 2025, playing 54 snaps during the postseason and recording six tackles.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 13: “The Titans defensive back, who spent his last four seasons with the Chiefs, has been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2026 regular season for violating the NFL’s PED policy.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm the suspension is without pay for the first six games of the 2026 regular season due to a PED policy violation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazeeh Johnson (born July 17, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd and was selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazeeh_Johnson
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 NFL draft was the National Football League's 87th annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_NFL_draft
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Latrell McCutchin Sr. (born November 15, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Houston Cougars, the Oklahoma Sooners and for the USC Trojans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrell_McCutchin_Sr.
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.