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Ravens OL Ben Cleveland suspended 3 games for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse

Sport

Ravens OL Ben Cleveland suspended 3 games for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse
Sport

Sport

Ravens OL Ben Cleveland suspended 3 games for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse

2025-12-09 07:00 Last Updated At:07:10

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ravens backup offensive lineman Ben Cleveland has been suspended for three games for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse.

The league announced the suspension Monday.

The 27-year-old Cleveland has appeared in 10 games this season with no starts.

Cleveland was arrested in Georgia earlier this year on suspicion of drunken driving. The Ravens later re-signed him. This is his fifth season with the team.

Baltimore took him in the third round of the 2021 draft out of Georgia.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland (66) stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray,File)

FILE - Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland (66) stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray,File)

Red Bull's influential auto racing adviser Helmut Marko is retiring from his role at the age of 82, ending a 20-year stint in which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen develop into four-time Formula 1 champions.

Marko's departure leaves Red Bull without the two main guiding personalities from its 2005 entry into F1 after longtime team principal Christian Horner was ousted in July and replaced by Laurent Mekies. Another key figure, car design great Adrian Newey, left Red Bull earlier this year and will head up Aston Martin in 2026.

Marko leaves after Verstappen missed out on winning a fifth title at last week's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Narrowly missing out on the world championship this season has moved me deeply and made it clear to me that now is the right moment for me personally to end this very long, intense, and successful chapter,” Marko said in a statement.

"I wish the entire team continued success and am convinced that they will be fighting for both world championship titles again next year.“

An F1 driver in the early 1970s before he was blinded in one eye when a rock pierced his helmet visor, Marko was an influential figure in team politics — especially when Verstappen's confidence in the team seemed shaken earlier this year — and he was close to his fellow Austrian, Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died in 2022.

Marko's blunt style and criticism of drivers sometimes led to controversy. In 2023, he apologized to then-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez for comments which suggested his Mexican heritage was to blame for inconsistent results on the track.

On behalf of the wider Red Bull corporate group, Marko oversaw its driver development program for two decades. He guided drivers such as Verstappen and Vettel through junior series to F1 debuts with Red Bull's second team, variously known over the years as Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and Racing Bulls.

Former Red Bull junior drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda were both largely uncompetitive this year alongside Verstappen, and another graduate of the program, Isack Hadjar, has been promoted to that role for next year.

Red Bull said Tuesday that 20 drivers had reached F1 after being part of Red Bull's junior program at some stage of their careers, including British rookie Arvid Lindblad, who will make his debut in 2026 with Racing Bulls.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Former driver Helmut Marko talks with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during the first qualifying session at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix, in Lusail, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Former driver Helmut Marko talks with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during the first qualifying session at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix, in Lusail, Qatar, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

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