Bombers' Collaros gets 1-game ban over unavailability for drug test

The CFL suspended Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros one regular-season game for failing to respond to requests for drug testing by officials from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

The league said Wednesday that CCES attempted to reach Collaros twice by phone, once by text, and once by email over a two-hour span, but the two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player didn't reply within the required 24-hour period.

Collaros has never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, the CFL added.

"Zach Collaros is one of the most respected leaders in our locker room and across the CFL," Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller said in a statement Wednesday. "He's a professional in every sense - committed, accountable, and a true example of what it means to be a Blue Bomber.

"There was no intent for wrongdoing by Zach - just a missed step in the process. Both the CFL and CFLPA have since clarified and improved their communication protocols to help ensure this doesn't happen to other players in the CFL."

The CFLPA drug policy states that players unavailable for drug testing are subject to a two-game suspension. However, Collaros will miss just one contest in consideration of "extenuating circumstances," reports TSN's Dave Naylor.

The Blue Bombers have a bye in the first week of the season. Their first matchup is scheduled for June 12 against the BC Lions. Winnipeg then plays BC again June 21 with the three-time Grey Cup champion back on the field.