Monday, May 10, 2010

Sex, Drugs, and Football

In a world where golf has suddenly become more sexy than American Football, it's good to know that when it comes to professional sports and drugs, the ever-reigning leader is still the gridiron.

Word leaked today that the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year - Houston LB, Brian Cushing (formerly of USC) - failed a banned substance/steroids test way back in September 2009.  Yes, as in the first playing month of his NFL career.  Now I'm sure everyone out there is thinking, "Well, Tinshaker, it's not like Cushing had any history of mammary-expanding drug use before this.  There's no way Houston could've known before they spent the 15th overall pick on Cushing that he was a cheater."

Of course, then I would say, now would be a good time to check the archives, my friends, and note that I said this prior to the draft in 2009:

"[Brian Cushing] has been constantly accused of using steroids and has been proven to be obsessed with muscle-building supplements. He had moved past Maualuga on the draft boards prior to this and if found guilty he would vanish from the first day. His only saving grace would be to come clean and hope that the NFL GMs believe his willingness to stay clean. But he hasn't done this. So maybe he's clean. Maybe he's just dumb. After following him quite closely here on Tin's Fins, I'd already come to the conclusion that he was dumb. GUILTY!"

Well, it turns out he was guilty as well.  Some may remember that a web-site swore up and down that both Cushing and fellow USC LB Clay Matthews (now in Green Bay) had tested positive during the NFL Combine.  They were eventually sued into oblivion for slander.  However, they stood by the story throughout the bashing they took and we'll likely never know who was right since the law got involved to protect the privacy of the former Trojans.

In any event, Cushing failed an NFL mandated test and he lost his appeal, and will now be suspended for up to 4 games in 2010.  He could also be stripped of his 2009 Def. POY award.  I'm sure he got a nice bonus for getting that award - which will likely have to be paid back.  Plus he'll be tested more routinely now for the rest of his career.  But it's not all doom and gloom for this meathead - at least he's got an impressive C-cup!

In the meantime, Cushing will be able to use his time-off to work on his relationship with Fox's Jay Glazer, who had this to say about the player he's been training at his MMA training grounds:

["In today's NFL guys have to be fully responsible for what goes in their bodies," Glazer wrote on his Twitter account. "I don't care if it was steroidal or not, it's on the player! ..

"Right now, no, we will not be training him. We do not want to be associated with any of this crap. Gotta cool off before we make a final decision."

Glazer has been working with former UFC champion Randy Couture to train Cushing.

"I talked with Couture last night, we are both extremely pissed about the whole mess," Glazer wrote. "just being associated with any of this crap."] ~Aaron Wilson, NFPost

Of course, Cushing isn't the only one taking supplements he shouldn't be taking.  The Dolphins' own Jason Ferguson, also failed a drug test and faces an 8 game suspension this year.
So my question to the readers - do you think the NFL is right in suspending these players or should they go back to the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy of the 70s and 80s, when half the league was either roided or coked out of their skulls?



 

46 comments:

  1. The NFL should continue to suspend the PED users.  People that use non-PED's (such as Ricky Williams) still have to abide by the NFL's rules, but the NFL should & is starting to balance these suspensions with counseling and other services to help the players.  Of course, many players may already be beyond steriods and just using HGH.  HGH testing seems to be making some progress... Maybe 12 months from now when/if the new CBA passes, the League will impose some sort of mandatory HGH tests...   

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  2. Cushing said that he didn't test positive for 'a steroid' and that it was something else - in fact, they always say that - i think Fergusons case was the same.  What if they tested for HGH?  Isn't that worse than steroids? And more importantly, does HGH make breasts grow bigger?

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  3. Tin...you obviously have breasts on your mind.  Hmmm...now that I think of it, so do I. 

    Never mind.

    ~Keith in PDX

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  4. I don't think testing positive for HGH is worse than steriods.  Long-term effects of HGH aren't known yet... HGH might be better for you than milk?  In terms of competitive spirit, I would equate all PEDs on the same level - If you're taking a product, you should know if it's on the banned substance list.  If it's on the banned list and you still take it, you-re cheating - and deserve to be suspended.  From a stupidity standpoint, HGH users can plead ingorance because they don't know of any long-term problems with it, steriod users know the long-term effects.

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  5. Well, I don't think of it that way, from a logic standpoint - I'm thinking purely from the 'Rulebook' standpoint.  Like you said in the first part of your comment, if it's on the list, it doesn't matter if you didn't think it was hurting your body.

    What I meant from my earlier comment is that we know HGH works 100% of the time, whereas the steroids may not have the desired effect at the same success rate.  And I think the HGH has more 'cheater' benefits as in healing powers.  That's why I may consider it 'worse'

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  6. Underneath it all we have coaching staffs, training staffs and general management that has been condoning the use of banned substances since the league began. Anyone who can say Bill Parcells did not know LT was jacked up on something is kidding themselves. Before LT was inducted in the HOF he had been busted for drug abuse, but the entire league turned a blind eye and allowed him in the hall. Now they have the bust of a child molester proudly on display in Canton.

    My point is, the league knows this goes on. Houston drafted Cushing knowing damn well he had used banned substances. The bottom line is they don't care. They care about winning games no matter the cost and it has been the same forever. I thought it was interesting to hear that Jake Scott did not talk to Shula for 20 years because Shula demanded he shoot up his sore shoulder for a pre-season game and when Scott refused, he promptly traded him the next week.

    Jason Ferguson was re-signed after receiving an 8 game suspension, tell me that teams are trying to do something about this and I will call Bull Shit! I can bet they are more pissed at Ferguson because he got caught than the fact that he actually did something. As long as there are drugs to enhance performance there will be performers who take them and teams that condone it.

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  7. What's the difference between the two cases...Cushing is suspended for 4 games and Ferguson for 8? 

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  8. This is Ferguson's second offense I believe...

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  9. I think he also got busted in his rookie season and was suspended for part
    of his 2nd season.

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  10. 4 games for a 1st offense, 8 games for a 2nd offense, a full season for strike 3

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  11. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 12:44 PM

    Tinshaker,

    I distinctly recall you saying that in respect to Cushing last year b/c;

    1) I have an excellent memory
    2) I wanted us to take Cushing or Matthews (I didn't like Malauga)

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  12. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 12:49 PM

    Tin,

    I believe the only professional sport that tests for HGH is cycling.  HGH tests are used by the Olympic doping committee but I know for a fact baseball does not test for HGH & I'm pretty sure football does not conduct HGH tests.

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  13. I was bummed out when I heard this about Cushing. What's the deal with the NFL not suspending him when they found out? They let him win rookie of the year first? Dumb!

    Cushing was known to take a lot of supplements but he denies taking steroids. There are so many things on the banned substance list that players and their agents need to do a better job with this stuff.

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  14. Of course, none of this takes away from the fact that Cushing is a good linebacker, possibly a great one, but it is all a bit tainted, especially when there are awards and high draft picks (and huge contracts) involved.  Had Miami drafted Cushing, we'd have never gone after Dansby in FA, and never drafted half the LBs we did this year, then this week (after FA and the draft are over) we'd find out that not only are we down a starting NT, but also our best ILB. 

    It would be like one fo those horrific farming accidents you hear about where someone's going along doing their work and suddenly lop their leg off.

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  15. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 12:58 PM

    Tim,

    I'm not sure if you saw the movie on ESPN about Ricky.  In the movie he said he failed his last drug test for something other than marijuana (he said it didn't matter).  Although it's hard to completely trust anyone, let alone Ricky, the way he is about holistic medicine & natural healing, I actually believe that he wouldn't take a PED. 

    So I ask, what do you think he took???

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  16. this basicallye echoes that: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/10/texans-owner-left-out-of-the-loop-on-cushing-suspension/

    how was he allowed to wait so long to appeal?  We're talking over 120 days here.  I'm not up on the law or union's rights or anything but don't you in general only get about 30 - 60 days to appeal a finding?

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  17. TTE, there may be a racial element here, as Cushing is also an 'alleged white supremacist'!  lol

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  18. Golf!! lol  Caddy Shack is all you need to know about golf.    Tiger with women is just like Spalding at the snack shop.
    Fun to play, but a REAL Sport ... not hardly, no more than pool or Nascar.

    If a Golfer every gets caught taking hormones, it'll probably be estrogen, not steroids!!  Zzzzinnng!

    I think steroids is still quite prevalent in the NFL, they're just not getting caught. (NFLPA rules, hard to detect, masking, etc.)
    Look at many ex-players ... they have beastly bodies & shrink to ave-Joes after retirement.  That's more than stop lifting.

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  19. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 1:03 PM

    Tin, are you serious? I know you put the 'lol' in there but was that a laugh at your joke or the fact that it is alleged?

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  20. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 1:04 PM

    Tin,

    Obviously it worked out for the best that we never drafted him & I agree that his status as a high quailty football player is tainted.

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  21. This whole philosophy of.."If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'" stuff is crap!  There are rules. Follow them and you will be OK and be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say I am doing my best without guilt.

    Patrick is right. This wink..wink condoning of banned substances has to be stopped.  That's my two cents..or maybe a nickles worth.

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  22. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 1:07 PM

    Tim,

    Nice.  I was thinking mushrooms or peyote but either one of those stay in your blood stream for that long.  If it was opium what the f#ck was Ricky & his lawyer David Cornwall trying to appeal???  He 'accidentally' got high???  LOL!!!

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  23. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 1:14 PM

    Bam-Bam,

    It's bizarre how it destroyed the purity of baseball to so many people but in football so many people write it off as part of being a player in the NFL. 

    If it didn't help people recover quicker from injuries & help them get stronger people wouldn't take them.  It's easy for you & I to sit back & criticize an athlete for cheating but the temptation must be incredible.  After watching what Sosa & McGuire were doing can you really blame other people wanting to make more money???

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  24. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 1:14 PM

    Opium is known to help with certain diseases like Crohn's disease. Not that he has Crohn's, but it relaxes you. Shrooms and Peyote crossed my mind. LOL

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  25. Bam,  I'm sure most would prefer to follow the rules & understand the danger of the steroids, etc.

    The problem arises with .... your a one of many, many super-athletes who are sooo close to 1st & 2nd string ... which makes them a grocery shelf stocker, etc.  You take some ROIDs & now you're movin' on up with a mult-million/yr contract, famous, etc.  Or get drafted high like Cushing.  Or get a few more years of big pay-days if you can heal like HGH Fergie.

    There's alot of people who will do questionable drugs for millions of dollars!!

    BTW ... do all know why Jake Scott was mad a Shula 20 years???  Shula ORDERED the Dr to inject Jakes super-bum shoulder to play in a pre-season game & Jake refused & gave Donny a good cussin' in the elevator!!   What made Jake spittin' mad, is he was one of the toughest/meanest/feared guys on the field in the entire NFL & routinely played hurt ... actually played once with 2 broken wrists & no casts (so he could wrap & clutch the ball).

    That was before the NFLPA negotiated that mandatory unidentified-injections crap away ... probably way worse than drug cheatin' today.

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  26. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM

    I'm actually for supplements that help guys heal quicker. What's so wrong about that? I'm not for PEDs that turn a 6-2 195 lb. guy into a 6-2 235 lb. LB in a couple of months though. It's unhealthy and will lead to many problems down the road for the player (health) and the team ($$$$$$$).

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  27. Pretty sure it was Omar last year that said Cushing had way too much back acne...

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  28. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 1:44 PM

    Back acne on a guy who also takes a lot of supplements and is in his early 20s isn't that rare. There are lots of things that make people break out.

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  29. Tim i know but it was Omars way of hinting to steriods... The only time i've ever had back acne was during football season...

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  30. We Have PlaymakersMay 10, 2010 at 2:05 PM

    Tim,

    Like stress.  Maybe the stress of the NFL combine??? 

    Even more stressful would be the fear of having to take a drug test if you're dirty.  LOL!!!

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  31. And Bonds & 100s of other MLB players.
    The difference is that Bonds, McGuire, & Sosa could really hit well, got REALLY strong, then hit REALLY FAR!!

    Don't every forget "THE" Babe ... he was hittin' 50-60 HRs on a diet of hot dogs, beer, women, little sleep, etc.  Then he proceeded to be lazy & never work out, got fat, & didn't bother to pay attention to opposing pitchers .... WHILE the big sluggers of the day hit 15-25 homers.  Now that's a Ruthian Feat.  If he played in the 90's & got his head straight ... maybe he'd hit 150-200 HRs, IF they'd pitch him.  Don't laugh, he was 2x-3x better than the best even in his Bambino shape & attitude!!

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  32. So is there a way to differentiate between those who fail tests due to roids and those who are taking taking weight loss supplements?  I was (probably naively) hoping Fergies failed test was due to the latter, seeing that he is a NT who probably has weight clauses in his contract. 

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  33. Of course.  Olympics politics moved drug-testing along at a frenetic pace.  Countries throw all their science behind cheating & cathching the others ... Olympic Medals are huge deals for everyone & screw-up countries are keen to show how cool they are.  Ever since those E. German babes won all the medals with facial hair, deep voices, & man-muscles.  Most of the designer steroids was initially pushed by gov.s.  Great PBS specials on this topic.

    The problem is they have to do a battery of tests for each substance.

    Fergie takes HGH from what is rumored.  Makes you heal & makes you strong.  He's doing it for the million$.  Weight clauses are a few thousands bucks & he's never had any big issue that I've heard.  Alot of supplements for different types contain mystery drugs ... that often trigger the tests.

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  34. Since Roids is a hot topic ... I learned this one on the History Channel.

    Egyptians were the first one to use Steroids a couple thousand years BC.  Hippos have one the of highest Steroid levels in the animal kindom ... that's why they're so mean & the #1 killer in Africa.

    The Egyptians learned they could get all hopped up & kick butt in war from eating Hippo dung (wonder WHO made that discovery & WHY!! lol).  Anywho the Egyptians figured out how to extract the steroids from Hippo Doo & put it in pills (alcohol or something, then distilling).  Then they'd feed ROID pills to the soldiers for a while before big battles.  Said they'd go bezerk-o in battle!!  You can still by Hippo pills in Egypt/Africa today ... put THAT on your vacation list!!

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  35. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 4:09 PM

    One very hungry motha @#$%er. LOL

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  36. Puts a whole new spin on my 'HungryHungryHippo' memories...

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  37. I find this subject a bit difficult... i'd like it to remain illegal to limit the use if only a little bit... but at the same time if somebody does use I don't find myself caring, maybe more upset that they got suspended than that they used. Like i'm not mad at Ferg, I don't think any less of him for it.

    A very large part of football is players learning how to cheat and get away with it... constant holding to where ref's don't see it along the line, wr's pushing off/db's slightly pulling them pushing them down the field.... You teach cheating in the game is okay as long as you're not caught, why would it be any different off the field. I don't mind my o-lineman holding, I don't mind my wr's pushing off... if they're not caught great, we win more. If anything about it bothers me it's that they're doing something that could be harmful to themself, which they shouldn't be... but like WHP said, the temptation must be incredible, making more money, being a better player, helping your team more, whatever pressure it is that gets to you, there are many.

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  38. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 5:11 PM

    You're right.

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  39. Just legalize the sticky,
    everybody will quit being sooo vain, and we can watch some ingeniously creative offensive football...

    GIGGITTY, GIGGITTY, GOOOOO  :-P


    How often are NBA gyz written-up for PEDs??

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  40. Tim The EnchanterMay 10, 2010 at 5:59 PM

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Cushing-could-lose-Defensive-Rookie-of-the-Year-?urn=nfl,239999

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  41. Sex !!! Did someone mention SEX, I'm all in. :)

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  42. <span>13kv, I can see it now, all the players in the huddle singing kumbaya while the camera man drifts into the stands and zero's in on fan eating a hotdog... "Wow man, that looks really good. Hey Sanchez, get me one of those!" Meanwhile, the ref blows a delay of game penalty, "chill dude, take a pill man, what's the big rush, we're going to get a hotdog and meet over at Burger Queen." 
     
    "Dude, I'll pick up the flag but you gotta get me a chocolate milk shake!"</span>

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  43. Tim The EnchanterMay 11, 2010 at 8:25 AM

    Sex may be the culprit. LOL

    Houston Texans LB Brian Cushing tested positive for slightly elevated levels of hCG, a non-steroidal substance produced naturally by the body, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, via Twitter. It is in seminal fluid and slightly elevated levels can be discovered in the event that a test occurs soon after ejaculation.

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  44. LOL, hey mannn get me a shake w'pretty colors,
    an apple pie, cinnimon twist, cookies, skittles, some doughnuts, and a beer, WOWWWWWWWWWWWW...

    And please throw that flag again, it leaves an infrared trail through the air...

    Go  D O U L F E I G H N S !!

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