Atlanta Sports Radio Has Scathing Response to Jurickson Profar Suspension

The Atlanta Braves’ spring training house of horrors continued on Tuesday with the announcement that Jurickson Profar would be suspended for a full 162 games after failing a second drug test for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in as many seasons.

Frustration. Rage. Confusion. Trepidation. All of these are feelings that were conveyed on social media in the hours after the news became official.

Jurickson Profar is facing ANOTHER PED suspension, this time for a full season. At this point, all we wanna know is was it an act of selfishness or plain stupidity? Braves fans have every right to be furious. pic.twitter.com/XryYuewtNG
— 92.9 The Game (@929TheGame) March 3, 2026

“It’s one of the most selfish things we’ve ever seen in our city – or he’s just dumb,” Carl Dukes of 92.9 The Game said to open Dukes & Bell on Tuesday. “This situation with the Braves is just a whole lot more interesting as the season is literally just a few weeks away. Opening Day for the Braves is the end of March, and now you’re going to be without – again – Jurickson Profar, who has been suspended for 162 games.”

Profar, who was Atlanta’s big free agency splash in 2025, was also suspended for PEDs last season. He played in the first three games of the year before a failed drug test cost him the next 81 games, derailing the Braves’ season in the process.

“Fool me once, right? This guy – as you said – either it’s a tremendous amount of circumstance here, or this guy is a complete idiot,” Mike Bell quipped. “I think he’s an idiot.”

The outfielder did come back after the season had gone awry, and batted .245 with a .787 OPS, 14 home runs, and 43 RBIs in 80 games.

Profar is expected to challenge the suspension, but he is just the sixth player to receive a 162-game suspension from the league office. It is unlikely that the league office will even consider amending its ruling at this time.

“Everybody’s watching you!” Dukes responded. “Braves fans, we all have the opportunity to be PO’d about this, and you should be. This has nothing to do with the lack of spending on pitching. This has nothing to do with what we haven’t addressed this offseason. This is simply, like, ‘Dude, we were counting on you! You let us down last year. We gave you some grace, and we’re not even going to get the chance to see you this year.’”

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Profar was set to make $15 million, with a $14 million luxury cap hit, but he will be suspended without pay for the duration of the season.

After Tuesday’s announcement, the Braves will be down four starters before the season even has a chance to get started. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim was lost for several months because he slipped on some ice back home in Korea. Meanwhile, starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had to undergo arm surgeries that will put them on the 60-day injured list to start the year.

A house of horrors, indeed.