Update on Spikes Suspension

[Grizzafted]

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure Aderrol isnt like Viagra, where you take it when you need it, but a medicine that you take daily and consistently to lessen the impact of the disorder.
I dont know what you feel Spikes owes you, but it is idiotic for you to try to think you can tell what is going on in his mind or life becauase of what you think he should say. I can assure you that Spikes didnt sit around and try to figure out all of the statements he should make in order to satisfy some joker who will just jump to whatever conclusion he feels he wants to.

You're either being deliberately obtuse or not thinking clearly. What is the point of a public statement, period, under your logic? The Patriots organization takes pride in its public image, as does any sports franchise that makes a significant amount of money off merchandising. Brandon Spikes did not write that statement, his publicist or manager did, and the New England Patriots I'm sure saw it before it was released. You're a moderator here, right? I would think you'd understand part of this process.

In a press release, what ISN'T said is far more relevant than what IS said. Even if the coaching staff is angry at Brandon behind closed doors, the organization, not to mention his management team, has a stake in maintaining a good image for him for all kinds of reasons. If the medication was prescribed and he had been using it continuously, the language in his release would have reflected that because it would have shown him in a favorable light. In other words, he was either abusing it, or his publicist is awful and should be fired. Being even vaguely branded as a drug abuser is bad for Brandon financially, any information that would dispel that connotation would make a public statement. Again, what wasn't said is far more revealing than what was.

The language of the press release is presented in a way that makes me think he took the substance once or a few times. Otherwise there would have been more detail, i.e. "I had a prescription and use it for a medical condition." I'm drawing my own conclusions on this, you may draw yours. It changes nothing, but I suspect I'm right and this was recreational.

Fantomex, you're right. That was a foolish statement and I'm sorry if it offended you. I have a hard time believing a football player's job would require him to take Ritalin but I could completely be wrong. I didn't get across what I was trying to say in a clear manner.

 

[Fantomex]

Meh. Unless you're a fighter pilot or your ability to stay awake/concentrate is a matter of life and death, any benefits are outweighed by the risks of dependence and abuse.

Adult ADHD is WAY overdiagnosed and overprescribed for, as are most other medical/psychological "conditions"). Only difference is that the stimulants used to treat it have a huge potential for dependence and recreational abuse. The abuse of this stuff is truly becoming an epidemic, as was pointed out in the article somebody else linked to.

I know that in baseball, there are tons of players that quickly got diagonses of ADHD the second that greenies were put on the banned substance list. If the NFL has the same policy of allowing players to use Ritalin etc. if they have a valid presciption, then it means that Spikes obviously did not and had another big lapse in judgment. This scenario matches up perfectly with what Spikes said publicly, so it's a pretty fair bet that he was using recreationally.
Lesson learned hopefully, and he's ready to kick some butt in the playoffs.

I don't want to get into a debate about the merits of prescribing medications to treat psychological conditions. I will say that using quotation marks around the term conditions is extremely disrespectful, as it implies they aren't real or worthy of treatment. I guess everyone's got an opinion, however, and you're certainly entitled to yours.

The only reason I commented originally was to point out that the comment, "You're completely foolish if you think a 22 year old man not in school anymore is regularly taking Aderall for ADHD" is a bit uninformed.

 

[Fantomex]

Fantomex, you're right. That was a foolish statement and I'm sorry if it offended you. I have a hard time believing a football player's job would require him to take Ritalin but I could completely be wrong. I didn't get across what I was trying to say in a clear manner.

No worries, Grizz. =) I wasn't offended, I just wanted to point out that it does happen and is probably a lot more common than you think.

 

[SanAngeloState]

Was this covered before? I've read and heard that adderal is a stimulant etc...in other words it can be used as a PED. So what is to prevent players from getting "legitimate" prescriptions for it and using it as a PED?

 

[Ring 6]

You're either being deliberately obtuse or not thinking clearly. What is the point of a public statement, period, under your logic? The Patriots organization takes pride in its public image, as does any sports franchise that makes a significant amount of money off merchandising. Brandon Spikes did not write that statement, his publicist or manager did, and the New England Patriots I'm sure saw it before it was released. You're a moderator here, right? I would think you'd understand part of this process.

In a press release, what ISN'T said is far more relevant than what IS said. Even if the coaching staff is angry at Brandon behind closed doors, the organization, not to mention his management team, has a stake in maintaining a good image for him for all kinds of reasons. If the medication was prescribed and he had been using it continuously, the language in his release would have reflected that because it would have shown him in a favorable light. In other words, he was either abusing it, or his publicist is awful and should be fired. Being even vaguely branded as a drug abuser is bad for Brandon financially, any information that would dispel that connotation would make a public statement. Again, what wasn't said is far more revealing than what was.

The language of the press release is presented in a way that makes me think he took the substance once or a few times. Otherwise there would have been more detail, i.e. "I had a prescription and use it for a medical condition." I'm drawing my own conclusions on this, you may draw yours. It changes nothing, but I suspect I'm right and this was recreational.

Fantomex, you're right. That was a foolish statement and I'm sorry if it offended you. I have a hard time believing a football player's job would require him to take Ritalin but I could completely be wrong. I didn't get across what I was trying to say in a clear manner.

I think there is absolutely zero justification for your position other than you inventing it.

 

[Grizzafted]

I think you're not very good at processing facts. Carry on.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

These drugs are definitely abused by some, but I'd wager the majority of the people that take them do so under a doctor's care and for very legitimate reasons.

Just because one poster has possibly had experience abusing these drugs or has seen others abuse them does not render them illegitimate from a medical standpoint.

According to the NFL there is no legitimate use for either since their use, even under a doctor's care, results in a suspension.

As for Spikes, until actual facts come out I'll reserve judgement and refrain from implying that he is grinding up ritalin and snorting it to get high or more to the point, is a raging junkie with a massive pill problem.

 

[JMarr]

I don't want to get into a debate about the merits of prescribing medications to treat psychological conditions. I will say that using quotation marks around the term conditions is extremely disrespectful, as it implies they aren't real or worthy of treatment. I guess everyone's got an opinion, however, and you're certainly entitled to yours.

The only reason I commented originally was to point out that the comment, "You're completely foolish if you think a 22 year old man not in school anymore is regularly taking Aderall for ADHD" is a bit uninformed.

First off, calling another poster an idiot in your first post strikes me as a bit "disrespectful," so meet the kettle.

I totally agree about the futility of debating about the topic of psychotropic meds on this forum. However....I have no doubt that ADHD meds do help some people [like yourself it sounds] function better in their jobs and everyday lives. And I've seen Ritalin/Adderal help many kids to be able to stay in public schools and in fact thrive in that environment when otherwise they would not.

The point of that part of my post was merely that there are many drugs that are without question overprescribed to treat both medical and psychological "conditions." [sorry--but this wouldn't be the first time in history that the pharmaceutical industry and many doctors who are basically on their payroll have in essence invented ailments that somehow end up being only treatable through prescription medication. Watching the commercials that saturate the evening news is all the evidence you need of this phenomenon.

 

[JMarr]

But you do not know if it was adult adhd, we are not privy(with good reason) to his medical history.. it may be something that he has been dealing with his whole life..

People I know with ADHD are on and off these meds continually, many times the effects are so severe that the cure is worse than the symptons..

I raise my grandson and we have been hitting and missing with adhd meds for the past 16 years.. sometimes we don't use meds, and are always seeking a better answer.. it is very complicated.

From the information there is little you can deduce at this time, so give him benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise..

OTOH I know some older men who say they are ADHD, and find it a convenient excuse to validate their behavior..

I completely agree with you and stand corrected, now that I know that the NFL, unlike baseball, apparently does not make exceptions for players who have been legitimately diagnosed with and are being treated for ADHD and other conditions. I would be very curious to know the NFL's exact policy on this [if there is one] and what kind of mechanisms they have in place to determine whether players who test positive for banned substances are in fact NOT sanctioned because a league-affiliated doctor is involved in clearing the player due to a legit condition. Seems to me that this whole topic is pretty hush hush given how huge of an issue it is, and that the league has some interest in keeping it that way.

 

[cartmen]

I have 2 friends I work with both take meds for ADHD and both need it. When they dont take it for a while they get extremely scatter brained and do not concentrate on their work. And all we do is Customer Service. He is a rookie LB in an extremely complicated D system playing for a man that demands you pay attention to detail do your job always. Slacking or scatter brained is not an option and is not tolerated. If he has ADHD legitimately than he needs his meds to study his job and get through the week. He is however extremely foolish for not bringing it to the Dr before taking it. If he is taking it illegally than all bets are off and he deserves the book to be thrown at him

 

[TheComeback]

I can think of two scenarios as to why he took Aderall or Ritalin. Neither of them are good, at all. (And a third, very unlikely scenario that would be the positive scenario).

One (most likely) - People use Aderall and Ritalin recreationally. It's known as a "poor man's cocaine." He was partying, probably with a girl(s) and they decided to sniff some crushed up pills. This, coupled with his chatroulette adventures, calls his maturity into question and makes me wonder if he's really ready to be a professional athlete. He's also 22 so let's hope he learns from this.

Two - There is a reason that amphetamines are banned in the NFL. If he was taking these drugs before games to give himself a little bit of extra zip, it's cheating. It's also very dangerous. I hope that's not what the case is here, but the fact is that Aderall helps people stay focused so maybe he thinks it helps him stay sharp during games.

Three (homer glasses) - He takes it to keep himself focused when learning the playbook. The reason why the drug exists is to help people study. Maybe he takes it to help learn a complicated defense. Anyone who believes this, I got some beans to sell you.

The bright side is that it's not straight up steroids or HGH (assuming we believe him) so I doubt we'll see a production decline unless he was using it before games. This is more serious than marijuana, though, and calls his judgment into question big time. A guy has a smoke with a friend, I give him a pass and hope he waits until the offseason next time. This circumstance isn't good for Brandon's reputation and I hope it's a real wake up call for him. This is not the University of Florida, it's time to get with the program.

Adderall does not exist to "help people study." It's a drug that is designed for a very specific type of mental disorder than can affect many aspects of a person's life, above and beyond their education. In many cases, people with ADD/ADHD have severe relationship and personal issues as a result of the disorder, and depression can be created and exacerbated by ADD as well.

ADD is a very misunderstood disorder that is unfortunately over-diagnosed in this country, and as a result there's a perception that ADD simply hampers a person's ability to do "boring" things, when in reality the actual disorder is much more disabling than that.

It could be possible that Spikes had a prescription for Adderall and somehow wasn't aware that it was banned by the NFL. Since possessing Adderall without prescription is illegal, there could be legal action against Spikes if he doesn't have one. I hope that isn't the case, but something tells me he bought Adderrall from a friend with a prescription to keep him awake at night while studying the playbook.