Seahawks’ Brandon Browner to begin four-game suspension this week

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner has dropped his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs and will begin serving his suspension this week, reports Danny O'Neil of The Seattle Times.

The NFL has confirmed the suspension, which will begin immediately. Browner will be eligible for reinstatement on Monday, Dec. 31.

By dropping the appeal and serving the suspension, Browner will miss home games against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams, as well as a road game against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. Browner will be eligible for the playoffs. At 7-5, the Seahawks are currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs entering the final month of the season. If the Seahawks miss the playoffs, Browner would be eligible for the start of the 2013 regular season.

Browner spent five seasons playing for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League before signing a three-year contract with the Seahawks on Jan. 19, 2011. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound cornerback earned a starting job during the 2011 preseason and was named to the Pro Bowl team after posting six interceptions with 23 passes defensed last season. Through 12 games this season, Browner had three interceptions and six passes defensed while playing in 98.9 percent of the team's defensive snaps.

Richard Sherman, the Seahawks' other starting cornerback, is also appealing his four-game suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Sherman has an appeals hearing scheduled for Dec. 14, which means he will be eligible to play this Sunday against the Cardinals and will likely be available for Seattle's Dec. 16 game against the Bills in Toronto.