Giants WR Golden Tate Loses Appeal of 4-Game Suspension for PEDs

After a lengthy battle with the NFL, the New York Giants' top wide receiver will still end up missing the first quarter of the regular season.

Golden Tate has lost his appeal of his four-game suspension for violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy.

The lost appeal solidifies the fact that the Giants will have to survive the first four weeks of the season without their most reliable threat in the passing game. It also compounds the damage to depth at wide receiver that came with the loss of Corey Coleman to an ACL tear.

Tate, a former second-round draft pick and a Pro Bowler in 2014, was brought in by the Giants in the offseason with the expectation that he'd carry the brunt of the offense load in the absence of Odell Beckham Jr.

He's been extremely reliable since the start of the 2014 season, hauling in 446 receptions for 5,019 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in 79 games.

Without him, guys like Sterling Shepard, Russell Shepard and Bennie Fowler will all have to step up. That'll be no easy feat with the likes of the declining Eli Manning and the unproven Daniel Jones playing at quarterback.

2019 wasn't exactly a season of high expectations by any means for the Giants, but that doesn't make the loss of Tate to his suspension any less easy for the team or the fans to bear.