NFL suspends Titans’ Hopkins for season opener

Hopkins, 34, had been waiting to hear from the league, expecting a suspension as punishment for the incident on March 14 when he grabbed his wife’s neck because she wouldn’t stop talking on a cell phone.

The league notified Hopkins of his suspension on Friday before the Titans’ exhibition in Atlanta.

“We anticipated it based on like circumstances over the last few years,” coach Jeff Fisher said Saturday. “Wish we would’ve been made aware of it sooner. Be that as it may, we’re going to deal with it.”

The suspension likely will force the Titans to play rookie Michael Roos at left tackle in the opener. The Titans have been trying to prepare for this by playing Roos at both right and left tackle this preseason.

Hopkins, a first-round pick by the then-Houston Oilers in 1993, is a two-time Pro Bowler. He pleaded guilty in a conditional agreement in which his record will be expunged if he completes a year of probation and anger management counseling. He also had to donate $10,000 to Williamson County charities as part of the agreement.