NFL suspends Ravens OL Ben Cleveland over substance abuse violation after Georgia DUI

The NFL has suspended Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Ben Cleveland three games without pay for violating the league’s Substances of Abuse Policy. Baltimore made the announcement Monday.

Cleveland will miss the next three games against the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. Cleveland, who has a $1.17 million base salary, will lose out on about $194,000.

The suspension appears to stem from Cleveland’s February DUI arrest in Georgia. According to the incident report obtained by ESPN at the time, Cleveland was stopped by police at 10.25 p.m. ET in Milledgeville after failing to maintain his lane.

Cleveland told an officer he drank approximately three to four beers at a country club but had not consumed any alcohol within the last two hours. He consented to a breathalyzer test, which showed he had a BAC of .178. That is over twice the legal limit of .08. He was then placed under arrest and taken to a local jail. Cleveland received citations for DUI and failure to drive within a single lane. He was released from custody after posting a $1,000 bond.

Ravens will be without Ben Cleveland for next few games

Cleveland, 27, was the Ravens’ third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia. He has appeared in 64 games for the Ravens, making seven starts. Cleveland has made 10 appearances this season, though he had been a healthy scratch in recent weeks. Cleveland is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The Ravens fell to 6-7 on the season after a 27-22 home defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Baltimore has dropped back-to-back games following a five-game winning streak. They remain just one game behind Pittsburgh for first place in the AFC North.