Merriman drops appeal, begins 4-game suspension

SAN DIEGO -- Chargers star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman dropped his appeal on Tuesday and will begin serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for steroids this week.

Merriman, who's tied for the NFL lead with 8 1/2 sacks, will miss games at home against Cleveland, at Cincinnati, at Denver and against the Oakland Raiders.

The suspension won't officially begin until after Merriman addresses his teammates today. After that, he'll be barred from the team's headquarters until he's eligible to return on Nov. 27. The Chargers were off Tuesday.

Had Merriman gone through with the appeal and lost, there was the chance that he'd miss both games against Denver, which is tied with the Chargers for the AFC West lead. The Chargers host the Broncos on Dec. 10.

Merriman, the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2005, said the positive drug test stemmed from a tainted supplement.

Word of Merriman's positive test leaked on Oct. 22. Merriman announced on Oct. 24 he was appealing, and had three sacks in Sunday's win over the Rams.