MERGEDX2: USC LBs Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing test positive for steroids

[eric1317]

I understand that taking roids is cheating but I wouldn't hold it against Matthews or Cushing too much. I would rather see them juicing up than smoking pot. I'm not sure but I think these guys will go on the drug program if they tested positive and I think it would be easier to get the guys to stop the roids rather than pot(maybe this is just me reliving the ricky nightmare though). Either way I hope these rumors are true it would help ensure higher rated players would fall to #25.

 

[XXXSURTAINXXX]

Matthews gain too much mass too fast. I knew he was on the juice. I am surprised about Cushing though.

 

[RealDriscoll]

I feel like Matthews and Cushing should be off our board entirely as should Vontae Davis, BJ Raji, and Percy Harvin. hese guys know that this is the biggest day of their life and rather than being prepared and giving maximum effort, they cheated. I was a big supporter of Vonate Davis but now he can go f himself. Larry English or Hakeem nicks should be our picks, enough said

 

[RealDriscoll]

I am not surprised by Cushing at all. He spends 1200$ per month on supplements; the guy is obsessed.

I would much rather have someone fail from smoking pot b/c that does not enhance their skill set while steroids does. The long term efefcts of steroids are far more severe than pot

 

[Avigatorx]

I understand that taking roids is cheating but I wouldn't hold it against Matthews or Cushing too much. I would rather see them juicing up than smoking pot. I'm not sure but I think these guys will go on the drug program if they tested positive and I think it would be easier to get the guys to stop the roids rather than pot(maybe this is just me reliving the ricky nightmare though). Either way I hope these rumors are true it would help ensure higher rated players would fall to #25.

I feel just the opposite.

A player that smokes pot with his friends may have bad judgment, but it isnt helping him on the field.

A player that juices has an advantage on the field. Not only that, but guys like Cushing and Matthews have very little "upside" or room to build out. They are already maxed. What happens when he stops juicing? He is gonna shrivel up.

Both are a lapse in judgment, but roid use is worse for a professional athlete.

 

[Dtronic]

Its possible, in four years you can put on 100lbs of fat or muscle. Right program, with great diet and supplements and you can do that easily. Four years of dedication can make you put on lots of muscle plus remember most people gain weight naturally turning into there 20s as your body begins to settle and mature. 100lbs I don't think that is as hard as you think, actually I know its not as hard as you think.

Depends on your frame completely. For most 100 pounds isn't possible even with roids.

 

[Dtronic]

I feel like Matthews and Cushing should be off our board entirely as should Vontae Davis, BJ Raji, and Percy Harvin. hese guys know that this is the biggest day of their life and rather than being prepared and giving maximum effort, they cheated. I was a big supporter of Vonate Davis but now he can go f himself. Larry English or Hakeem nicks should be our picks, enough said

Smart money says they aren't on our draft board after this news.

 

[ckparrothead]

Do you think they are the only ones using something? They were just the ones stupid enough to get caught. I thought they would have had a better system of masking in place by now.
Anyone who thinks the use of performance enhancing substances is not commonplace, is naive IMO.

I see so many people that say this and yet they have almost nothing to base it on.

 

[fishypete]

I see so many people that say this and yet they have almost nothing to base it on.

CK...Couldn't agree with you more...why is that some say...well he's not the only one...perhaps...but it still doesn't make it right. What does it say about the coaching...trainers....win at all cost...or just win Baby?

 

[Rev Kev]

I feel like Matthews and Cushing should be off our board entirely as should Vontae Davis, BJ Raji, and Percy Harvin. hese guys know that this is the biggest day of their life and rather than being prepared and giving maximum effort, they cheated. I was a big supporter of Vonate Davis but now he can go f himself. Larry English or Hakeem nicks should be our picks, enough said

Absolutely couldn't agree more with you... This shows a lack of professional discipline and personal discipline and a me first attitude -

Perfect fit for the CFL... Where their policies are next to nil..., and the players have to bag groceries during the week to make payments on their ride....

 

[ckparrothead]

CK...Couldn't agree with you more...why is that some say...well he's not the only one...perhaps...but it still doesn't make it right. What does it say about the coaching...trainers....win at all cost...or just win Baby?

I'm just saying that the NFL has the strictest drug testing policy of any pro sport out there, they conduct random tests on their athletes all the time, and every year they add like 6 new obscure substances that are on the official banned list, which now stands as thick as a copy of War and Peace. This does not sound like a league that likes to just "look the other way" when it comes to steroids. HGH? Maybe. I could see that, because the fact of the matter is there IS no accurate test for HGH. As soon as one comes out, you can bet the NFL will be using it.

But for someone to have the gall to suggest that anyone who doesn't believe what they believe is just "naive"...well if you're going to display such arrogance, you'd better have some evidence to back yourself up, and the evidence ought to be pretty obvious and easily available since you're asserting that everyone else is "naive" for not having seen or not believing the evidence.

It's just a very disrespectful thing to say.

 

[Zounds]

I know that in college you might get tested a few times in a year, and when I was in school it was a piss test, not the hair test. I believe testing still only happens when the sport is in session. It's very easy to get away with drug use in college. In the NFL its near impossible. While I don't have any evidence that a lot of college players use banned substances, I do believe it is easier to get away with it in college there are probably more that used roids than we know of.

 

[eric1317]

I feel just the opposite.

A player that smokes pot with his friends may have bad judgment, but it isnt helping him on the field.

A player that juices has an advantage on the field. Not only that, but guys like Cushing and Matthews have very little "upside" or room to build out. They are already maxed. What happens when he stops juicing? He is gonna shrivel up.

Both are a lapse in judgment, but roid use is worse for a professional athlete.

I don't know about their upside but I was making a generalized statement about these young men who made a mistake. From what I know about steroids, they help you build muscle faster by giving you a shorter recovery time between lifting. I could be wrong but I don't think that just because you stop juicing you automatically loose mass. Merriman didn't shrivel up once he got caught. I wouldn't condemn either group of kids, I just rationalize the steriod kids as being slightly less offensive since they were trying to become better football players as opposed to partying with their friends. I also see it as the steriod guys as being more willing to quit if they understand they won't be able to play football anymore if they continue. We all have made mistakes and some of us have cheated in someway or another in the past.

 

[@@@]

I'm just saying that the NFL has the strictest drug testing policy of any pro sport out there, they conduct random tests on their athletes all the time, and every year they add like 6 new obscure substances that are on the official banned list, which now stands as thick as a copy of War and Peace. This does not sound like a league that likes to just "look the other way" when it comes to steroids. HGH? Maybe. I could see that, because the fact of the matter is there IS no accurate test for HGH. As soon as one comes out, you can bet the NFL will be using it.

But for someone to have the gall to suggest that anyone who doesn't believe what they believe is just "naive"...well if you're going to display such arrogance, you'd better have some evidence to back yourself up, and the evidence ought to be pretty obvious and easily available since you're asserting that everyone else is "naive" for not having seen or not believing the evidence.

It's just a very disrespectful thing to say.

While I fully agree with the sentiment of your post, a couple of points i'd make are

The NFL may have the strictest drug policy of any mainstream American sport but it still falls considerably below sports adhering to the WADA code certainly in terms of frequency of testing and with regards HGH and any other performance enhancer which can't be detected through urine testing alone (the reason the NFL claim there is no accurate test is because they only test urine not blood so cannot tell the difference between the manufactured and natural HGH)

and also IMO the bigger problem with the NFL steroid policy is the absolutely laughable punishments handed down which are simply not an effective deterrent

 

[emeraldfin]

I don't know about their upside but I was making a generalized statement about these young men who made a mistake. From what I know about steroids, they help you build muscle faster by giving you a shorter recovery time between lifting. I could be wrong but I don't think that just because you stop juicing you automatically loose mass. Merriman didn't shrivel up once he got caught. I wouldn't condemn either group of kids, I just rationalize the steriod kids as being slightly less offensive since they were trying to become better football players as opposed to partying with their friends. I also see it as the steriod guys as being more willing to quit if they understand they won't be able to play football anymore if they continue. We all have made mistakes and some of us have cheated in someway or another in the past.

You want to see the difference steroids makes?