DENVER (AP) -- Pro Bowl safety T.J. Ward said the NFL is unfairly punishing him over a nightclub incident that happened more than 15 months ago, one in which criminal charges were ultimately dropped.
Ward was suspended Thursday for Denver's opener against Baltimore on Sept. 13.
Ward said in a statement released by the team that he'd accept his penalty and apologized for his actions. But he struck a defiant tone after the Broncos' preseason finale against Arizona.
''I feel it's really unfair,'' Ward said in the locker room. ''I'm getting punished for being accused of doing something, not for doing something but being accused, and I've got to pay the consequences for it.