Remorseful Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon said he failed a drugs test because he consumed beer with his team-mates on a flight to Las Vegas.
Gordon, who has a history of substance abuse having tested positive for marijuana last season, is facing a year-long suspension after failing a test for alcohol use.
The 23-year-old was initially suspended for the entire 2014 NFL season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, though that penalty was later reduced to 10 games after agreeing not to drink alcohol.
Gordon was under the impression that the agreement to abstain from alcohol did not apply once the season had ended but he was mistaken.
He has since taken to blog-publishing platform Medium to explain his side of the story.
"I boarded a private flight to Las Vegas with several teammates. During the flight, I had two beers and two drinks," Gordon wrote.
"It was the first time I had consumed so much as a drop of alcohol since July 4, 2014, the day of the DWI.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a drinker. Even calling me a social drinker would be an exaggeration, but at that moment, on that flight, I made a choice. The wrong choice, as it turned out.
"Upon landing, I received the all-too-familiar notice by phone that I was to report to a testing location within four hours. I failed the test, obviously, and the rest is history…coloured by media speculation and faux outrage.
"In the end, of course, I failed myself.
"It doesn't matter if I thought that the league-imposed restriction on drinking had expired at the end of the regular season; what matters is that I didn't confirm whether or not that was the case.
"Now, that oversight has further jeopardized my relationship with my team and our fans, my reputation, and maybe even my career."