Seahawks' Richard Sherman reportedly claims drug test was contaminated

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman reportedly argued in his appeal that his drug test had been contaminated. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

In his appeal to the NFL on a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman claimed that his urine specimen had been contaminated, ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reported Sunday.

Sherman was suspended at the end of last month for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. The NFL heard his appeal on Friday, and is expected to issue a verdict sometime next week.

Schefter has more details on Sherman's argument to the NFL of how his sample had been contaminated:

A major part of Sherman's appeal, which was heard Friday, involved his claim that the cup containing his urine specimen was leaking, prompting the collector to place a second cup underneath it to capture any leakage, the source said.

Sherman stated that the second cup's seal already had been broken before being used to stop the leakage from his cup, according to the source. Since the second cup's seal was broken, the chain of custody also was broken, therefore nullifying Sherman's positive test for Adderall.