Hamilton Tiger Cats' Brandon Banks sits on the bench during the final minutes of their CFL football game against the BC Lions in Hamilton on Friday July 1, 2016. Banks has been suspended for two crucial games following a positive drug test. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins

TORONTO - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be without star receiver/kick-returner Brandon Banks for their crucial rematch Friday night with the Ottawa Redblacks.

Banks was suspended for two games Wednesday for violating the CFL's drug policy. According to the league, Banks tested positive for methylenedioxyamphetamine, a psychedelic hallucinogenic drug also known as MDA that's closely related to ecstasy.

"I'm disappointed but at the end of the day it is what it is," Banks told reporters in Hamilton. "It's my mistake.

"I just have to think positive and move on forward."

Banks said he's known for a couple of weeks that he had tested positive and Tuesday spoke to his teammates about it.

"It was tough because I knew this day would come," Banks said. "I was just really living in the moment trying to help my team get to the playoffs.

"I just apologized to the team and let everybody know that I know I let everybody down and that I own up to the mistake that I made. Hopefully they accept my apology, I'm pretty sure most of them did but if they didn't I'm pretty sure I can win them over."

Kent Austin, Hamilton's head coach/vice-president of football operations, said the franchise continues to support Banks, in his third season with the Ticats.

"To say I'm not disappointed is probably not the truth," Austin said. "But I know he's been disappointed in me to so that's the way relationships are.

"Brandon knows that I love him and we're supportive. He made a mistake. We need to get better, make better decisions in the future. It impacts himself personally, it impacts the football team and it impacts everybody around him. You can say no as easily as you can say yes and we trust that we'll be better decision-makers in the future."

The loss of Banks is big for Hamilton (6-9), which trails first-place Ottawa (7-7-1) in the East Division standings. As a result of the suspension, Banks will also miss the Ticats' home game versus Edmonton (8-7) on Oct. 28.

"We fully support the drug-testing policy and Brandon has taken full ownership," Austin said. "We'll continue to keep him involved and he'll serve his suspension and rightfully so.

"Then he'll come back, hopefully as a better human being, better person, better teammate, better football player as a result."

Hamilton can clinch a playoff berth — and home field for the East semifinal — with a win Friday. The Ticats would also garner second in the conference with a tie and losses this week by both Toronto and Montreal.

Ottawa can also clinch first in the East and home field for the division final with a win over Hamilton.

Banks will be eligible to return to Hamilton's lineup Nov. 5 for its regular-season finale against Montreal at Tim Hortons Field. Austin said veteran Kendial Lawrence will come off the practice roster to returns kicks in Banks' absence.

"We're confident in Kendial . . . he's a proven player, a proven returner and so we feel like we're going to be OK."

The five-foot-seven, 157-pound Banks has 29 catches for 355 yards and four TDs this season. He has 59 punt returns for 569 yards and a touchdown and has also returned two missed field goals for touchdowns.

Banks was the CFL's top special-teams player last year after returning four punts for TDs, one short of the single-season record.

Under the CFL and CFL Players' Association policy, a suspended player can't participate in games but the club decides if he can participate in other team activities such as practices and meetings.

Banks is the third player suspended this season for a positive drug test.

Defensive tackle Quinn Smith of the Calgary Stampeders was slapped with a three-game ban after testing positive for the anabolic steroid methandienone. It marked the second time Smith had tested positive in his football career.

Bruce Johnson, a defensive back with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, received a two-game suspension for after also testing positive for methylenedioxyamphetamine.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016