Schefter: Cushing Failed Test In September

by Tim on May 10, 2010 10:16 AM CDT in News

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was suspended due to a test he took in September and played the entire season under that specter -- a season where he was named The Associated Press' Defensive Rookie of the Year -- and went to the Pro Bowl, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Cushing appealed the test in February and lost -- and was suspended this month by the NFL.

Per an earlier agreement with the NFL and the NFLPA, any player who tests positive for performance-enhancing substances is not allowed to play in the Pro Bowl -- meaning Cushing would not be allowed to play following the 2009 season.

Failed in September, huh? Yikes.

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There is talk...

of stripping his DROY award and giving it to Byrd. What do yall think of it?

by Jahon on May 10, 2010 10:23 AM CDT reply actions

Irrelevant

It’s a nice “title” to have, but I don’t know if it means much.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com

by bigfatdrunk on May 10, 2010 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Ask USC

How much they miss all those wins the NCAA took away.

by JimboTexan on May 10, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions

But they aren't taking OUR wins away

And, frankly, that’s all I care about.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com

by bigfatdrunk on May 10, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

I was being facetious. I don’t think USC cares at all because it a souless beast mired in corruption which represents all that is wrong with college football, its sanctioning being but an illustrative example of how feeble and incompetent the NCAA actually is, and a cry for institutional reform.

by JimboTexan on May 10, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions

Ah, well

Reading comprehension FAIL, and I couldn’t agree more.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com

by bigfatdrunk on May 10, 2010 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions

If they didn’t strip Merriman, why should they strip Cushing? You can’t just make it up as you go along, there has to be some stability in what they do as a league.

I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill to some degree. Among players with a history of PED use are Julius Peppers, Dwayne Bowe, Rodney Harrison, both Williams in Minnesota, Louis Castillo, Deion Sanders, Travis Henry, Steve McMichael, Shaun Rogers, Dan Pastorini, Tim Couch, Marcus Stroud, David Boston, Jason Feurguson, Jason Sehorn, Bill Romanowski, Dana Stubblefield, Mike Golic, Matt Stevens, Shawn Springs, Frank Wychek…, even punter Todd Sauerbrun…. and Jim Washburn once was sentenced 3 months in a halfway house for importing steroids while he coached at South Carolina….

How many of these players’ careers are tainted now by their PED past? People are just blowing this story way out of porportion.

by Bryan72076 on May 10, 2010 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions

Well I think the only difference here

is that Roger Goodell was not the Commissioner when Merriman won the award, so Goodell could have a different reaction than previous commissioners.

by theaxeeffect4311 on May 10, 2010 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions

The NFL can't strip the DROY...

…because the award is handed out by the AP. It’s not a NFL mandated award, therefore the commissioner does not have the power to rescind it… or at least he shouldn’t.

by thelundquist on May 10, 2010 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Ah thanks for correcting me

I guess I would like to think that how stern Goodell has been with other suspensions, he would try to crack down on the use of PEDs.

by theaxeeffect4311 on May 10, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Pastorini took PEDS?

That’s like finding out that Carr took smart drugs.

by kozanack on May 10, 2010 8:34 PM CDT up reply actions

So, I’m hoping he got of the peds and continued to be a badass, I guess. Sort of a silver lining?

by MadMartygan on May 10, 2010 10:35 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

Silver lining, yeah

If he tested positive in september, and was informed of it at the time, it’s very reasonable to believe he played the rest of the season clean.

by BigTexBD on May 10, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

Or at the very least

figured out how not to get caught again.

by Tailgate Andy on May 10, 2010 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Notice...

how all the football reporting sites have pictures of Cushing when he had his long hair? Makes him look even greasier…still going to miss the guy for the first four games though

by MaloneyPony on May 10, 2010 10:46 AM CDT reply actions

I wonder

now if this is the real reason he did not play in the Pro Bowl and that it wasn’t because4 of injury.

Also I sure hope that he can continue to be the player he showed to be last season once he is no longer under the influence of any PED’s.
It would be a real shame if the beast we saw last year was not the true player.
Kinda like how all those homeruns in baseball stopped flying around after MLB cracked down on PED’s

I'm the best there is at what I do.

by xmant2000 on May 10, 2010 11:33 AM CDT reply actions

where are the 60+ Hrs now???

Roger Marris approves this message!

"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries! Now Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"
Go Texans!

by Taco Joe on May 10, 2010 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

So he played his entire rookie season knowing he had failed that test

He either didn’t use them again during the whole season or he figured out how to mask it a lot better…either way this is good news to me. His performance throughout most of the year was either legitimate in the wake of using PEDs or brought on by VERY cleverly masked drugs that helped him stay healthy.

Of course, I would rather him not take steroids and be just a solid physical NFL player then take them and be a beastly machine with the possibility of getting busted again.

by leacheatsbabies on May 10, 2010 12:48 PM CDT reply actions

My only question

is that if he failed a drug test in September, what took so long for him to be suspended? I am not saying this as Cushing is horrible for what he did, but more of what took the NFL so long to finalize this. Why is it that he failed in September and his appeal was in February? I think this is becoming a bigger deal because of the DROY award, but I think he should keep it just because the NFL did not act fast enough.

by theaxeeffect4311 on May 10, 2010 12:56 PM CDT reply actions

I have to agree there...

Why did they take so damn long to hand down decision? I didn’t think about that till axe brought it up. Why is it that Cush had to wait 8 months after his failed test to finally get a decision?

"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries! Now Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"
Go Texans!

by Taco Joe on May 10, 2010 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions

Thread High Jack

Ben Tate posted this pic on his FB…

"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries! Now Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"
Go Texans!

by Taco Joe on May 10, 2010 1:03 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

He has a very large buttox

"I'm just looking forward to something great happening in the city of Houston" - Tracy McGrady

Still waiting...

by DreKeem on May 10, 2010 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Thats Assmass, it helps with Weight speed

A Texas Wannabe, born and raised in New Zealand. Currently located 7539 miles South west of Houston.

by distant_texans_fan on May 10, 2010 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions

One thought

One thing bothering me is that Cushing is not telling the whole story. He said the tests did not detect steroids. That does not mean he is not a steroid user. In fact, because that is the extent of his disclosure, I suspect there is more to tell. I suppose he is not saying more because he doesn’t want to admit guilt with the possibility that the Commish would act with further punishment if those facts were to be acknowledged by Cushing. I don’t think we will ever know more…

I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?

by Rip Jersey on May 10, 2010 1:10 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

Or,

He is with his family putting his Aunt in the ground, and will give a better statement later.

by jxjx on May 10, 2010 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions

In all probability,

that statement was prepared by his lawer in conjunction with his agent. No point trying to look for hidden messages in it.

Assmass alone does not a NT make.

by kaizer on May 10, 2010 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Agree RJ, he didn't deny anything which just fuels the rumor machine

If it was a masking agent, HGH or whatever, seems to me it would accelerate the end of this crap if he would just issue a statement simply saying that he is sorry that he took it (substance X), admit that it was a mistake, that he just wants to put it behind him and move forward. I can’t see the comissioner adding more to the penalty. He already knows what the substance was and has rukled accordingly, but the agreement with the NFLPA prevents full disclosure. Nothing stopping Cush from letting everyone know the whole truth. Our society forgets quickly and is very forgiving of those who are perceived to have come clean. See Andy Pettite, who obviously lied about his frequency of HGH use but was still given a pass. Telling the truth is cathartic and would help him get his head screwed on straight. We need him 100% right come game 5.

BTW, I am already tired of this. This offseason promises to be excruciatingly long. I’m already ready for some football. How long till training camp again?

It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!

by oiler-texan diehard on May 10, 2010 10:54 PM CDT up reply actions

September

Since he popped way back then, anyone think it was something he might of been taking to help his knee get better faster? Maybe why the suspension was delayed for so long

by wkittinger on May 10, 2010 1:38 PM CDT reply actions

I like that thought

it could have very well been something for faster recovery time. Plus the fact that he got tested in September also means that whatever it is he may have taken, he did NOT take it during the course of the season, since I am sure they did more random tests? So his performance on the field is real, as it always has been through his college days…Nasty/Aggressive/Technically Sound

by Hangbok on May 10, 2010 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions

My question is

If he failed one test in September, how many tests did he pass the rest of the season?? Id be surprised if the NFL got a failed test and then didnt test a player again the rest of the season. If Cushing failed those other tests we would have heard about those also, but we havent which means Cushing passed the tests post-September. Thats has to mean something right??

To all Houston sports fans, Houston is the 4th biggest city in America, there will be traffic on the way to your respective sports game. Come Early, Be Loud, Stay Late.

by TexasHoosier on May 10, 2010 5:34 PM CDT reply actions

That's an interesting question

It would also be interesting to know if/how a failed test affects future testing frequency. Does it trigger an automatic immediate retest? or, Does it proceed to the penalty/appeal phase which has to be played out completely before any more tests? Anyone have info on this?

Random testing is commonplace now, but I’ve worked at a few places where it did not appear to be all that random.

It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!

by oiler-texan diehard on May 10, 2010 11:01 PM CDT up reply actions

You should see how random the Army Reserve's drug testing is

If we didn’t know much of what we were doing that weekend, it was almost a forgone conclusion we were getting drug tested. I think I might have taken probably 5 or 6 drug tests in a one year period.

I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.

by The Night Owl on May 11, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions