NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL suspended injured Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones for 20 games on Wednesday for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
Jones, 28, is in his first season with the Penguins. The club placed him on injured reserve in late October with a foot injury, then assigned him to their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He played one game for Wilkes-Barre in January before sustaining an upper-body injury.
Jones said through a statement released by the NHL Players Association that he believes he was exposed to a contaminated substance while undergoing exosome therapy from an outside provider.
“While I did not use the prohibited substance intentionally or for performance enhancement, I understand that players are responsible for everything that enters their body and accept the discipline imposed by the program,” Jones said. "I’m sorry to have let down my teammates, the Penguins organization, and our fans.”
Jones, the younger brother of Panthers defenseman Seth Jones, had one point in seven games with the Penguins in October after signing a two-year deal with Pittsburgh last summer.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said the club “appreciates” Jones' transparency and that Jones will follow all NHL and NHLPA protocols during the suspension. Dubas added that Jones has the “full support” of the organization.
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FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins' Caleb Jones skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, in Pittsburgh, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.
Their summit in Seoul came as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan.
Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media.
At a joint televised briefing afterward, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed “their resolves to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The two leaders did not take questions and did not elaborate on how they would help reopen the strait, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Lee said he and Macron agreed to expand cooperation in technology, energy and other areas. South Korean and French officials also signed agreements to cooperate on nuclear fuel supply chains, jointly invest in an offshore wind project in southern South Korea and to collaborate on critical minerals.
Macron’s Asia trip comes as Trump has ramped up his frustration with allies. In a speech Wednesday, Trump said Americans “don’t need” the strait but the countries who do “must grab it and cherish it.”
“Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”
Macron has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz through a military operation was unrealistic.
South Korean officials have said they were in contact with Washington on the issue and that Seoul wasn’t considering paying Iran transit fees to secure fuel shipments through the strait.
The United States stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea, not the 45,000 stated by Trump. The U.S. troops’ deployment in South Korea is meant to deter potential aggressions from North Korea.
French President Emmanuel Macron, front left, his wife Brigitte Macron, back center, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, front right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, right, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, his wife Brigitte Macron, left, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, second left, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second right, during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
