Wow. So out of the billions of fans that watch professional football, you're sourcing one PFT blog post with 66 responses. Yeah, I'm convinced now...
Yeah, if someone hadn't heard of the Texans, I'm going to go out on a limb and say their opinions are largely irrelevant and not what we were talking about...
Not that's just mean... I hate to be the bearer of bad news but for many football fans (including many of those in this state) the Texans are largely irrelevant. On a lighter note, John McClain is about to come on Randy Galloway's ESPN show in a few minutes. This should be a hoot. Mr. Randy has been just ripping at Cushing all afternoon so this should really "interesting".
Understood, but there's a difference in being irrelevant and not even heard of. If you literally mean the latter, you're talking about a bunch of complete NFL idiots. Even if they don't follow the Texans, persay, the evidence is out there that these suspension stigmas don't really stick with NFL players. Most columns (one on ESPN today) on a national basis are pointing out exactly that. Honestly, until this whole fiasco... I had completely forgotten that Peppers was suspended four games as a rookie. And I think you know that I'm a diehard NFL follower. It's an interesting topic now because it's May and nothing else is going on... but as far as Cushing being labelled a cheat for the duration of his career and this being his legacy, I think that's incredibly premature.
McClain on ESPN 103.3 just now: Everyone cheats, Cushing was just dumb enough to get caught. Taking the DROY away when others (Peppers) have tested positive is preposterous. Voting for Cushing again is NOT condoning steroid use. Cushing could have been: pregnant, having sex (hopefully with a woman) or merely ejaculating to pass the time. He will lose $23000 a week. He got no incentives for the DROY award. He won't lose his $2.1m roster bonus. Cushing is getting raked over the coals like he was a baseball player. Usually these announcements are greeted with a ho-hum nationally. Cushing can no longer say that he's never tested positive any more. Expects BC to come back strong like Peppers and Merriman. He's not concerned that BC lied to him because he gets lied to by players, head coaches and GMs all the time. Expects BC to win again but the vote to be closer. McClain has been on 17 talk shows today and will be on NPR tomorrow. He turned down NFL Network because he didn't want to get dressed.
But ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn said Tuesday that testing positive for hCG once -- and then testing negative the next time around -- is actually evidence that Cushing was taking the substance artificially, even as his camp tries to spin his positive test by saying hCG occurs in the body naturally. "If you had some kind of condition that would have caused hCG to be at measurable levels in his body, it should have still been in his body after the test," Quinn told Trey Wingo on NFL Live. "The fact that it cleared is evidence to doping experts and scientists that I've spoken to that there's not a plausible reason." http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/11/cushings-subsequent-negative-tests-may-be-evidence-he-cheated/ Keep believing what you want to.
I look at it this way. Someone who is not a pro football fan would still know who the Steelers or Redskins or Cowboys were. And by now, they'd even know who the Saints were. But the Texans? Who dat? Texas has another team besides the Cowboys? Really? When did that happen? But you are 100% correct in that in 6 months, this will all be largely forgotten. After all, Cushing ain't Barry Bonds and this ain't baseball.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AoCA7wFG1gdIITyg9Mk8l985nYcB?slug=ap-cushing-suspension NEW YORK (AP)—Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing(notes) tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL’s banned substance list. A person familiar with Cushing’s case told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Cushing had one positive test last September, then subsequently tested negative several times. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the test results were supposed to remain confidential. “He had one low-level positive test for HCG in September, and then every test after that was negative,” the person said. “He has said he has no idea where the positive test came from.” The NFL has suspended Cushing for the first four games of the season. He won the AP’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honor in January for outstanding on-field performance. Now, the AP is taking a revote for the award, as well as All-Pro outside linebacker because Cushing made the second team. ESPN first reported the banned substance was human chorionic gonadotropin, which is widely taken by steroid users to help restart natural testosterone production. HCG can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of drugs. It’s also used to induce ovulation and treat ovarian disorders in women. In 2009, Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez(notes) was suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games for testing positive for HCG. The person familiar with Cushing’s case said medical experts have talked about a surge in HCG levels for a man after a workout or after ejaculation. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency spokeswoman Erin Hannan denied that. “You would not see a natural spike of HCG after a workout or ejaculation,” Hannan told The Associated Press. “You would only detect it in urine by actually having taken it.” Cushing, a first-round draft pick out of Southern California, was a runaway winner for the rookie award in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He received 39 votes, easily beating Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd(notes), who had six. Cushing is suspended without pay until Oct. 4, although he can participate in offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games. He will not be eligible for next season’s Pro Bowl—he made the AFC team last January, but did not play, citing several injuries—or any NFL-sponsored awards. Texans owner Robert McNair on Monday criticized the lack of information provided teams when a player has failed a drug test. He said he would like the testing system and lack of communication with the clubs addressed in the next collective bargaining agreement. NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith responded to those comments Tuesday in an e-mail to the AP: “Sport is at its best when fans can witness great achievements under the rules of fair play. Players who break those rules cheat the game, cheat the fans and cheat themselves,” Smith wrote. “The players want a clean game as well as a clean process for enforcing those rules. We intend to address both in the collective bargaining process to make the system better.”
That's a pretty damning article and more legitimate than the massive speculation throughout this thread.
This is bull****, the man is just trying to ovulate and this is his reward?! The whole league is a joke.
W00t! the first ever two time winner of the AP Defensive rookie of the year award! Cush! http://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL
