You were the one stating that it's so low that JACKING OFF set's off a positive test. There is no proof to back that up. There is no reason to think that the NFL doesn't use a reasonable standard for testing hcg. I doubt the player's association would agree otherwise. If you have info that the the hcg test is unfair to players (something Cushing has NOT said) then please share it with us.
i don't get it either, his reference is something that says it slightly raises levels, meanwhile, Cushing's levels are said to have been "slightly" elevated. He is assuming that they already have a "buffer" zone, but there is no clear buffer so the basis of his argument is something he doesnt know. Which all goes back to my point that there just isnt enough information out there and i'm not sure how much information the NFL actually provides to the player/franchise.
But it's you guys saying that ejaculating raises the levels beyond the buffer zone, but have nothing to back that up. THAT is what's pure speculation here. You'd think Cushing would come out and say "hey, I jacked off before the test, that's why I failed" if it was true.
Depressing thread. Not only do you have an Accounting degree to be an NBA fan these days, now you have to have a Biology degree to be an NFL fan. This sucks, but I don't think it's really going to affect us that much. It's only 4 games and Cushing plays LINEBACKER. We're not exactly talking about Matt Schaub or Andre Johnson here.
Cushing hasn't said anything at all, and until he does it's not fair to speculate on what he's omitted. All I said was something reported by multiple media outlets. Do I trust the media more than the NFL? You better believe it. Do I have proof? Nope, and you don't either, other than the fact he failed a test whose theoretical level could have been at 1. Thus, I feel it's premature to label him a "cheat" until more details are in.
The media was simply quoting a source in regards to this jacking off thing. We have no idea what the credibility of this source is. It's not "the media vs the nfl" at all.
This is the key in all of this, Cushing has said very little which makes him look guilty but next week at OTAs the media will be all over him. Until the guy speaks up rumors and assumptions will be flying around.
i don't know why you are having a hard time understand what I said. Maybe you've spent too much time in D&D...But it's quite simple. Spraying baby batter does increase levels slightly, right? It is reported that cushing's levels were "slightly" higher. I never claimed to know the buffer, nor assume (like you) that the NFL has this buffer level at all. In fact, you were the one to bring up the argument. And no, i don't think a pro athlete would put out a public statement saying he jacked off. Now you are just being ridiculous.
C'mon Cat! The guy makes a legitimate point about what the perceptions will be from folks who aren't fans of the Texans. Many people probably never even heard of the Texans until the Cushing story broke. In fact, I'm surprised that Leno or Letterman haven't popped off a few jokes at Cushing's expense. You can choose to believe whatever you want but the facts are the facts and those facts say that Cushing was caught flunking an NFL drug test. End of story. It sucks, but that is just the nature of the beast.
Exactly. Adibi should be able to fill the void decently and who knows how good the kid out of Miami is.
Right and also, wouldn't the comprehensive physical examination he took when joining the Texans have shown that his body has naturally elevated levels of hCG which would have been noted for the record? If that was the case, then as you say, his tests would have to be adjusted to compensate for those naturally high levels for hCG in order to produce valid results. All of which leads me to agree with your conclusion that he did indeed take something which led to the flunked drug test.
it will be interesting to see how sharpton does. WHile i would agree that adibi will start, the more i read about Sharpton the more he sounds like he can contribute. If not this year then soon.
Just in my anecdotal scanning of the internet and TV, unless you are already a big NFL fan - i.e. someone who knew who the Texans were - you haven't heard the story. This isn't making the front page of the Wall Street Journal. It wasn't a major feature story on any of the general web portals. My guess, in answer to the debate about whether the "majority of public opinion" sides either with or against Cushing would be that neither answer is true. I would say most people haven't heard the news and don't care. And beyond that, most NFL fans who don't care about the Texans and have heard, haven't thought about it any more than registering it as a fact - the same way that they would file away the fact that Ed Reed will miss the first half of training camp.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/11/cushing-tested-positive-for-same-substance-as-manny-ramirez/ Just read the comments on this page and you get a general idea how the rest of the fans think about cushing.
