Former Sprayberry High school standout Marlon Byrd, who plays for the Cleveland Indians, has been suspended 162 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive a second time for a performance-enhancing drug.
MLB officials said Wednesday that Byrd tested positive for Ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide.
Byrd was named All-State in baseball and football at Sprayberry. He started his college baseball career at Georgia Tech but transferred to Georgia Perimeter.
The 38-year-old Byrd signed as a free agent in March with Cleveland. He is batting .270 with five homers and 19 RBIs in 34 games.
He's also played for the Giants, Reds, Phillies, Pirates, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Rangers and Nationals.
Byrd was suspended for 50 games in 2012 shortly after he was released by Boston. Major League Baseball increased its penalty for a second offense in 2014 from 100 games to a full season.
Byrd's lawyer Jay Reisinger said in a statement that the positive test resulted from a tainted supplement. He says Byrd won't appeal the suspension.
