I don't think I've seen anyone OTHER THAN CUSHING say it was non-steroidal. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5172060 Cushing, who said in a statement that he tested positive for a non-steroidal banned substance, appealed the league's decision at a hearing at the NFL scouting combine in February, but the linebacker was informed Friday his appeal had been rejected.
Probably some supplement he was taking that was included on the banned list. He strikes me a guy that takes a ton of pills and drinks alot of shakes. Although one day I want to see if the league will really suspend a guy if they took Sudafed.
It's definitely harder to believe someone would inject themselves with old school anabolic steroids when there are all sorts of new types of PEDs out there now a days. But I personally think it's splitting hairs. Just because there are new ways of using PEDs (creams, pills, etc...), I personally don't think its any different than shooting roids straight up (in terms of morality). But whatever it is, I just hope this isn't re-occurring problem and that Cushing can be a good player w/o it.
The NFL keeps test results confidential, so Cushing is probably the only one who will ever say anything about what he took.
HGH would be non-steroidal. The FSH/LH that Man-Ram was suspended for last year would also be non-steroidal (though I think it is used to mask steroids?). Also some stimulants (NFL has banned and tests for ephadrine which you can get at health food stores as the herb Ma Huang) and stimulant-like drugs. And I'm sure there are a million others. The list of non-steroidal PED's is long. Anabolic steroids are just the PED that has been used for the longest time. People were using deca-durabolin before anybody even knew what follicle stimulating hormone was.
I don't really agree with this, because plenty of folks want the baseball steroid users kept out of the hall, their "records" noted with *, etc. Not to mention they never tested positive.
Yes, they want them kept out of the hall for punishment. Of course they never tested positive...steroid testing didn't exist in baseball until 2005.
As much as I initially thought this was real "juice", I honestly feel Cushing likely is guilty of nothing more than supplemental HGH or something milder to that effect...While 4 games is strict, this seems more in line with standard no tolerance procedures.. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling...
At this point, Cushing surely feels there is no way for him to win. Till now, he could at least point at the endless urine samples he’d submitted over his college and professional years, none of which produced a positive result. Now, because so many believed he was doing it anyway, this is merely public confirmation of a rumored truth. And because our current sports landscape is so littered with confessed cheaters and convicted criminals, fans are conditioned to both expect and accept the worst. This particular fight might not be over as Cushing could turn to the legal system in an attempt to clear his name. But just as he’d serve himself better by speaking up now, the NFL would do better in releasing a more specific reason for the suspension. By declining to delineate what the failed test is for – steroid? Masking agent? Hormone? – both sides suffer. http://www.northjersey.com/sports/050910_Sullivan_Former_trainer_stands_behind_Brian_Cushing.html
Yeah, people are finding him guilty because of unsubstantiated rumours from his past and because of the stigma surrounding the NFL. Of course, people are also finding him guilty because, you know, he actually tested positive. Sorry, but I don't feel sorry for him. Of course he "can't win" and clear his name. He tested positive. Heck, he's actually ADMITTING he took a banned substance. He's just saying it's not steroids, but there's no way to know and no real reason to take him at his owrd.
What we know: He tested positive for a unknown banned substance. and it is a given that the banned substance could simply be a diuretic or nutritional supplements that are banned by the NFL... If that is the fact, then Cushing absolutely should seek legal recourse. I am not excusing his possible ignorance of banned sustances. He should have taken all precautions on such a list. For all we know, chocolate milk might be on the list for avoidance.. I understand the policy of the NFL not to declare specifics, but Cushing may be served better by forcing that hand...
What would he seek legal recourse for? I do think the NFL should release the results of the test. That way, steroid users won't be lumped in with guys who use other PEDs.
The reason why you probably never see this is because the player is usually doing something wrong and knows it. If false positives were so prevelant (seems like every case is a false positive now a days), then you'd see a lot more uproar on this, not just from the players, but from the owners as well. But the NFL isn't going to ban unnecessary substances, it doesn't serve in their interest to do so. I'm sure the list is long and that some could be suprised on what's on there, but there's no point in suspending players and getting bad PR for substances that aren't going to enhance physical performance and/or are dangerous or illegal. The more stringent the list, the more likely players are going to get busted whether knowingly or not, that's not what the NFL wants.
yeah mabye, but you can even buy fake penis's, that are made for passing tests. Its like $250, but thats pocket change for this dude. http://www.ureasample.com/buy-drug-test-solutions/store/whizzinator.htm
I think the NFL tell the player what substance he tested positive for, but not the media, and the fans.
Exactly what I'm saying. A positive test in football doesn't generate the buzz that mere allegation does in baseball...and I read all the reasons for why that is....the only one that resonates with me is the idea that, at certain positions, we kinda let the cheating slide because they're akin to bounty hunters. That theory would be tested if a high profile QB tested positive....because I THINK that would generate the same kind of criticism for a Drew Brees or a Peyton Manning that baseball players get out of this...though NEITHER would be kept out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for it. But if the rookie of the year in MLB tested positive right before the start of his sophomore season...he'd be absolutely villified in the national media. On the other hand, CUSHING IS THE 3RD ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN THE LAST 8 SEASONS TO TEST POSITIVE FOR PED'S. Here's the Writer of Wrongs on the topic: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/6996614.html Commentary In the end, it's just win By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle May 8, 2010, 8:50PM Brian Cushing is a lucky young man. Cheating? In the NFL? Child, please. In the NFL, cheating is so yesterday. Just win, baby. Once he gets back on the field, this minor inconvenience will be forgotten. Have you checked out the NFL news lately? All things considered, a performance-enhancing-drug scandal passes as a slow news day. Do you care that Cushing's a cheat? Oh, I know you say you care, that this is no way for a role model to behave, and you may never go to another game. That's what we're all supposed to say. I can fake outrage as much as the next person But do you really care? Of course, you don't. You just want him in uniform. Just win, baby. To get any real attention, an NFL player has to be staring at real jail time and, unless there's another shoe about to drop, Cushing's crime is one of ethics and stupidity. He'll be part of training camp same as always, and then he'll take four games off to work on his masking agent. Different sport, different standard. If Cushing played major league baseball, he'd be all over the news. He'd be the object of ridicule, and his reputation would be gone forever. Cheating hardly registers NFL fans don't want to know how the sausage is made. Maybe it's because so many NFL players have been accused of so many things worse than cheating. Maybe it's that a sport with so many gruesome injuries dulls the senses to what would be considered objectionable in MLB or the NBA. Just win, baby. Maybe it's those darn helmets. We never really get to know most NFL players. They come and go so quickly and, when they're around, they're largely shielded from the public. We know them by their sound bites. And in some instances, their mug shots. Hardly a week passes without an NFL player — and in one case, a head coach — being accused of sexual assault, drug possession or some other crime. You need a scorecard to keep track of the accusations. Ben Roethlisberger, Shaun Rogers, Joey Porter, Sean Payton, et al. Where does Lawrence Taylor come off stealing headlines from today's players? Didn't he already have his 15 minutes? If you're keeping score, Cushing is the third NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year to be suspended for performance-enhancing substances in the last eight seasons. He must be doing something right if he's being mentioned in the same breath as Julius Peppers and Shawne Merriman. Were Peppers and Merriman hurt in any substantive way for being exposed as cheats? Of course not. Stuff happens. All Cushing did was try to get better, and who doesn't respect that? If he plays as well as he did last season, if the Texans finally make the playoffs, who'll remember that Brian Cushing cheated? A fear of failing? We probably never will know why he did it. Is he insecure? Arrogant? Afraid? Maybe for all his fearlessness on the field, Cushing really is afraid. He might think he's not fast enough, not good enough, and that working hard and playing by the rules won't get him where he wants to go. You're not shocked, are you? He played so ferociously, with so much heart and desire, that it was easy to figure he might be one of those players who could get his ambition and judgment mixed up. Just win, baby. At one point, his lifestyle seemed so joyless — weight-lifting, eating, sleeping, weightlifting, eating, sleeping — that a Texans official urged him to ease up and go have some fun. Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak would love to have four dozen others like Cushing. He played so recklessly and so passionately last season that he seemed headed for a short career, but an amazing one. There was that moment in the locker room at Miami when a doctor informed Kubiak that Cushing had a broken finger. Kubiak looked past the doctor to see Cushing smiling. No problem, coach. Violent collisions, torn ligaments and broken bones are part of the NFL landscape and, if a player needs a little pick-me-up, well, no need to run around making too much of it. Different for baseball Funny thing, though, how fans still care about baseball players and still hold them to a higher ethical standard. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were savaged for their apparent missteps. Fans believe they know Clemens and Bonds in a way they will probably never know Peppers or Cushing, and when they're accused of cheating, they take it personally. But they seem to have given up trying to hold NFL players accountable? Big Ben did what? Well, that's awful, but he is a franchise quarterback, so let's not get carried away. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig curses the fact that his sport is held to a different standard, but he should be proud of it. There's still outrage when a baseball player cheats, and that's a good thing. The NFL? Just win, baby.
