LeGarrette Blount Suspended for Week 1 of 2015 NFL Season

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount has been suspended without pay for the 2015 regular-season opener for violating the substance abuse policy, the NFL confirmed Tuesday. Blount will not be in uniform when the defending-champion Patriots receive their Super Bowl rings in the 2015 home opener.

Blount will miss the first game of the 2015 season. (Greg M. Cooper/USA Today Sports)

Blount was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers when he and fellow running back Le'Veon Bell were arrested on Aug. 20 after police found three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana in Bell's car during a traffic stop.

After serving 50 hours of community service, prosecutors agreed to drop the charge against Blount in January. Blount was cut by the Steelers in mid-November after the tailback left the field early in Pittsburgh's come-from-behind victory over the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. He totaled just 266 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games with the Steelers after signing a two-year, $3.85 million contract with the team in the offseason.

Following his release from Pittsburgh, Blount latched onto the New England Patriots—where he played during the 2013 NFL season. Blount emerged as the lead running back in his return to New England, rushing for 281 yards on 60 carries with three touchdowns in the final five games of the regular season. Blount—who ran for three touchdowns in the AFC Championship game versus the Indianapolis Colts—helped the Patriots win their fourth title in franchise history with a thrilling victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

As a result of the suspension, Blount will lose $48,685 in base salary, as well as a $6,250 per-game roster bonus. He remains eligible to participate in all offseason practices and preseason practices before the suspension starts.