GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mike Pennel already missed the first four games of this season because of a suspension, and now the Green Bay Packers defensive tackle will miss the final four games for the same reason.
Pennel agreed on Tuesday to accept the second suspension, a source confirmed to ESPN, one day after the NFL Players Association said Pennel's appeal -- scheduled for Tuesday -- had been postponed.
The defensive tackle was suspended for the first four games of this season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. A second suspension could have meant a 10-game ban, and it was not clear why Pennel received another four-game ban.
Pennel will be eligible to return to the active roster Jan. 2, after Green Bay's New Year's Day game against the Detroit Lions, the NFL said in a statement released by the Packers. He will be eligible to play if the Packers (6-6) make the playoffs.
"Because of the confidentiality of the process, the Packers will not have any comment on this matter," the team said.
The NFL Network was the first to report that Pennel had agreed to the four-game suspension.
Pennel filed a lawsuit in federal court in Ohio last week, alleging that the NFL and the players' union failed to satisfy the rules of the collective bargaining agreement when it came to hearing the appeal of his most recent suspension.
The third-year pro has played in the past eight games of the season as a backup.