New York Jets Darron Lee
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Darron Lee’s season will end early, as he will miss the final four games for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.

Geoff Magliocchetti

New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee’s season is over.

The team announced through a Friday afternoon statement that Lee will be suspended for four games without pay for “violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse”. There will be no appeal, as the statement says Lee will begin serving the suspension immediately.

The 2016 first-round pick’s third season in green ends with 74 tackles and three interceptions, the latter being a team-high. His most notable moment came during opening week in Detroit when he took a third-quarter interception back for a touchdown. Although the season-ending suspension dampers what some had seen as a year of improvement for the Ohio State alum, he also set a career-high in pass deflections with five.

Lee is in the penultimate season of his four-year rookie deal. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 31, one day after the Jets’ season finale in New England

With Lee out, linebackers Neville Hewitt and Kevin Pierre-Louis are expected to take over his absence over the Jets’ final four games. The two have primarily played on special teams, with Pierre-Louis blocking a punt during Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

The Lee suspension is the latest blow in a brutal season for the Jets (3-9). Tennessee’s win over Jacksonville on Thursday officially eliminated the Jets from playoff contention. The final stretch begins on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS).

Follow Geoff Magliocchetti on TWITTER