Rams receiver Mike Thomas has been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season, the league announced Friday afternoon.

Thomas will be suspended without pay “for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances.”

The league did not give specifics on Thomas’ alleged violation, but the NFL’s drug policy calls for an automatic four-game suspension for a positive test result for a “stimulant or anabolic agent.”

A sixth-round draft pick out of Southern Mississippi in 2016, Thomas appeared in 15 games last season, caught three passes for 37 yards and also contributed on special teams.

Thomas had drawn praise from new Coach Sean McVay throughout the Rams’ offseason program for his on-field improvement, and Thomas is expected to compete for a spot on the final 53-man roster in training camp.

Thomas can participate in training camp and in preseason games but won’t be able to return to the active roster until Oct. 2.

In April, Rams cornerback Troy Hill was suspended for the first two games of the season for a violation of the league’s drug policy. Hill previously pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence.

HIGBEE PLEADS GUILTY

Rams tight end Tyler Higbee pleaded guilty on Friday to “assault under extreme emotional disturbance” and avoided jail time, the Bowling Green Daily News reported Friday.

Higbee was arrested in Ohio last April, less than a month before the Rams drafted him, and was accused of punching a man in the face.

Higbee’s plea deal Friday means he will avoid jail if he completes a five-year pretrial diversion program that includes restitution to the victim, the newspaper reported. Higbee also must avoid another arrest, pass drug tests, perform 250 hours of community service, and he is not allowed to own a gun.

The newspaper reported that “assault under extreme emotional disturbance” commonly is known as a “heat-of-the-moment” assault.