Kansas City, Mo. ? Chiefs cornerback Eric Warfield, a repeat drunken-driving offender, has been suspended for the first four games of the 2005 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Warfield, 29, was arrested Sept. 20, 2004, in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. Police said Warfield had a blood-alcohol level of .189 percent, more than double the state’s .08 percent legal limit.

He pleaded no contest in January to a felony charge of driving under the influence, his third DUI in three years.

He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 80 days of house arrest.

His agent, Craig Domann, confirmed the suspension in a statement released Tuesday. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined comment.

Officials with the Chiefs would not comment on specifics, but said the decision was no surprise.

“This has always been a possibility,” said Bob Moore, a team spokesman. “It’s not something the team hasn’t been prepared for.”

The Chiefs now will have to find a starter opposite Patrick Surtain for the first month of the season.

The Chiefs have signed veteran Ashley Ambrose.

Warfield’s suspension also means the Chiefs must play their first first four games, three of them against playoff teams last year, without their most reliable cornerback. Kansas City faces the Jets, Raiders, Broncos and Eagles at the start of its season.