OT: Brian Cushing suspended four games for PEDs

[MoLewisrocks]

Tucker's first paragraph is alarming. The NFL allowed the appeal of a September test to carry on until February?! Especially since 1) a banned substance suspension has to my knowledge ever been overturned or reduced, and I don't see where the mechanics are to do so, and 2) DeMaurice Smith and the NFLPA have come out in favor of suspensions for banned substances, including this case.

I have a hard time taking the NFL's stance on PEDs seriously when they allowed a positive player play for the entire season while dragging their heels on a needless appeal.

I think it may well have had to do with the NFL seemingly putting an embargo on all PED suspensions pending the outcome of the Star Caps litigation. Remember, there was a player on another team whose suspension was held in abeyance even though he wasn't part of the Williams Brothers suit. They were apparently reluctant to suspend anyone while the guys from Minnesota were getting a court mandated pass... I think normally the process doesn't take nearly that long. Just long enough to recheck the test and hear the appeal...

DeMaurice's reaction was unusual to say the least. I think he's finding it hard to stake out ground for his union to be in opposition to most things the commissioner is doing and look like the good guy, ergo he's not about to take up the cause of defending cheaters in the present labor/political atmosphere. He may also be sending his membership a message that he's going to have his hands full trying to save their money in a new CBA without backing off of the kneejerk defense of draft busts, screw ups and cheats.

 

[patriotscpfc]

Has kept the title on a re-vote.

Cushing got 18.
Byrd got 13.

Mort refused to vote

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain kept insisting he had to vote for Cushing because he had voted for Peppers and Merriman knowing they cheated plus he saw how great the kid played AFTER September.... Great situational ethics, not to mention lack of intelligence in general. And they wonder fans lament the loss of journalistic ethics in sports reporting.

 

[Disco Volante]

They're sending a great message to kids.

 

[Deus Irae]

Has kept the title on a re-vote.

Cushing got 18.
Byrd got 13.

Mort refused to vote

Mort did the right thing. There never should have been a "re-vote" in the first place.

 

[PatsChamp88]

They're sending a great message to kids.

Hey it's only cheating if you get cau..

 

[Joker]

this is a phantom holocaust...really...all this drama over a who cares whoop dee doo award...excuse me if I don't seem to be able to get angry at this terrible affront to some evaluation voted on by some people who have probably never even played the game."Take away his award!!!! THIS will show everybody!!!!!"

YAWN.....

 

[Bostonian1962]

They're sending a great message to kids.

I know. Some of these talking heads complain about cheating and ethics etc. Then THEY get a chance to put their money where their mouths are, and they say "just kidding".

What a farce!

I heard John Clayton yesterday say he'd likely not vote for Cushing because he cheated, and then he said he was going to vote for his workout buddy Matthews instead. O.K., Matthews wasn't caught, despite the photos of his man-boobs, and cartoon-like muscles on his mucscle's muscles.

However, some of these talking heads are a joke............I know, I'm not telling anybody anything they didn't already know.

 

[eom]

maybe they should vote for the scrawniest guy.

 

[eagle eye]

Totally of the opinion that there should not have been a vote on it but I have a huge problem with anybody voting for a known cheater in hindsight.

 

[ausbacker]

Inadvertent test or systematic cheating the policy of "drug suspension" is ridiculous. It should be a mandatory one year on the sideline with up to two years on the sideline.

Professional athletes cannot hide behind the excuse of I didn't know. They know because they are forced to know that everything they put in their bodies they are responsible for.

FWIW the recount was pointless.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

this is a phantom holocaust...really...all this drama over a who cares whoop dee doo award...excuse me if I don't seem to be able to get angry at this terrible affront to some evaluation voted on by some people who have probably never even played the game."Take away his award!!!! THIS will show everybody!!!!!"

YAWN.....

The unfortunate reality is most of these players have incentives and escalators in their contracts that can be triggered by some evaluation voted on by some people who have probably never even played the game... And a similar group of their peers votes on induction into the HOF.

What the media needs to do is adopt a policy like the NFL has that precludes guys who cheat from contending for awards intended to reward performance.

 

[Joker]

The unfortunate reality is most of these players have incentives and escalators in their contracts that can be triggered by some evaluation voted on by some people who have probably never even played the game... And a similar group of their peers votes on induction into the HOF.

What the media needs to do is adopt a policy like the NFL has that precludes guys who cheat from contending for awards intended to reward performance.

well, as anyone can see, the current set-up where you get anointed for starting off well in the league which leads to monetary enrichment down the line needs to be replaced by performance based rewards over a period of time coupled with a good character clause. I think what you say is right for the most part..preclude the cheats from awards...let their respective teams determine whether to reward them monetarily

 

[Deus Irae]

Inadvertent test or systematic cheating the policy of "drug suspension" is ridiculous. It should be a mandatory one year on the sideline with up to two years on the sideline.

Professional athletes cannot hide behind the excuse of I didn't know. They know because they are forced to know that everything they put in their bodies they are responsible for.

FWIW the recount was pointless.

The Starcaps case demonstrates just how flawed your position is.

 

[ausbacker]

The Starcaps case demonstrates just how flawed your position is.

Your general position of know it all shows just how little you actually know about the drug education programs professional athletes across the world are forced to be involved with WADA standard compliant or not.

Athletes are responsible for everything they put in their body regardless of what's listed in the ingredient mix of a label. It's made abundantly clear to those who pay attention.

 

[Deus Irae]

Your general position of know it all shows just how little you actually know about the drug education programs professional athletes across the world are forced to be involved with WADA standard compliant or not.

Athletes are responsible for everything they put in their body regardless of what's listed in the ingredient mix of a label. It's made abundantly clear to those who pay attention.

Do you know what happened in the Starcaps case?

 

[ausbacker]

Do you know what happened in the Starcaps case?

Yes I do know about the Starcaps case. I also know that there is a provision to send a sample of a product to testing labs for "piece of mind" before ingestion. I also know about masking agents however I'm not knowledgeable about the NFL testing procedures.

 

[VJCPatriot]

If Mark McGwire didn't get his award taken away, I don't see how they could do it to this kid. Up front he needs to stop abusing the PEDs, but apparently some people give passes to even obvious Roid heads like Merriman, so we probably shouldn't crucify Cushing too much. Wonder how much his game drops when he stops taking PEDs though? Will we see him revert to scary manboob Cushing??

 

[Deus Irae]

Yes I do about the Starcaps case. I also know that there is a provision to send a sample of a product to testing labs for "piece of mind" before ingestion. I also know about masking agents however I'm not knowledgeable about the NFL testing procedures.

Then instead of insulting me with that stupid comment, you should have tried a little freakin' reading.

The NFL's no-tolerance policy holds players responsible for knowing what they put into their bodies. Still, Larson was sharply critical of how NFL officials handled the testing and he singled out NFL vice president Adolpho Birch, who's responsible for implementing the drug policy.

Larson wrote that Birch knew NFL players were inadvertently ingesting bumetanide when they took StarCaps, but made a conscious decision not to tell players, the teams, the players' union or federal regulators.

"Birch knew full well that players would continue taking StarCaps and testing positive for bumetanide. ... Birch was playing a game of 'gotcha,'" Larson wrote.

Minn. judge scolds NFL, but sides with league in StarCaps case - USATODAY.com

According to the filings, during the players' arbitration hearings last month a consulting toxicologist for the league, Dr. Bryan Finkel, testified Lombardo told him he did not disclose what he knew because he wasn't sure whether all StarCaps products contained the banned drug. Finkel also said Lombardo was afraid the supplement manufacturer might sue him if he made a public statement against the product.

Birch testified during the arbitration hearings that he did not notify any teams, players or the union in writing that StarCaps contained bumetanide, the memo shows.

NFLPA files suit to block 5 player suspensions over diuretic - ESPN

The Williamses acknowledged taking StarCaps the night before a weigh-in during 2008 training camp. The supplement did not list bumetanide as an ingredient on the label

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-nflsuspensions

The league knew as far back as 2006 that the Starcaps contained a banned substance that wasn't listed in the ingredients, but the league never bothered to tell the players. The players didn't fail the test until 2008. Given that the league knew the substance was there and the players didn't because the league didn't bother to inform them of what had been discovered about the item, your argument, and your snide comment to me, can take a flying leap.

 

[ausbacker]

Then instead of insulting me with that stupid comment, you should have tried a little freakin' reading.



Minn. judge scolds NFL, but sides with league in StarCaps case - USATODAY.com



NFLPA files suit to block 5 player suspensions over diuretic - ESPN



Minn. judge sides with NFL in StarCaps case - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

The league knew as far back as 2006 that the Starcaps contained a banned substance that wasn't listed in the ingredients, but the league never bothered to tell the players. The players didn't fail the test until 2008. Given that the league knew the substance was there and the players didn't because the league didn't bother to inform them of what had been discovered about the item, your argument, and your snide comment to me, can take a flying leap.

Oh poor little Deus Irae has his knickers in a knot. There's responsibility on behalf of the league to inform their players of issues as such if they run their own anti-doping policies but there is always the provision for players to take personal responsibility for EVERYTHING THEY INGEST. I know this because I've been personally involved with WADA programs across several olympic level programs. Peak body incompetence or not it is the athlete's responsibility to ensure that everything they are taking is "clean".

The ultimate responsibility lies with the athlete themselves. It always has and always will.

My comment still stands.