Cushing Suspended for Teh Roidzz

Off Topic
201

[quote]KBCThird wrote:

[quote]TheJonty wrote:

[quote]KBCThird wrote:
Even mouth-breathing sheeple who picture steroid users with a band around their arm searching for a vein know intuitively that these guys arent just the genetic elite, and that the size of the average linemen hasnt increased something like 80 lbs in the last 25-35 years because of a better understanding of nutrition.[/quote]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure football players 25-35 years ago didn’t have quite the same weight training regimen as players do these days. Not saying PEDs didn’t play a part, just saying.[/quote]

To the best of my understanding the pros have been lifting since at least the early 70s. I know back in the day teh common misconception was that lifting weights leaves you musclebound, slow, etc, but I believe that was more in the 50s and 60s and died out first int eh nfl, while persisting longer in college and high school.

If you mean that they were lifting but the programs are that much better today, I simply dont believe that coaches of today are responsible for 80 additional lbs of mass. A crappy program, well-executed will still take you to within 90% (maybe more) of your potential, a superior program will likely make a difference of less than 10%. Obviously all this is my opinion and nobody’s ever researched it, because there’s no way to do so.[/quote]

A friend of mines mom used to date an ex-Packers player who’s now a lawyer here in Houston. He played in the mid 70’s, and he said that lifting for him and the other lineman made a huge difference in their performance, but they had to convince the coaches that it wouldn’t make 'em “slow and musclebound”. His reasoning was “a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, and a stronger muscle is a faster muscle”. For a guy that never really read any strength training lierature I thought that was pretty astute of him. He also said their sessions lasted well over 3 hours and they’d basically kill themselves each session, haha.

202

You can make enough moneyin the NFL to set you for life in one year…Hell I’d be juicing like crazy in that situation.

203

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]KBCThird wrote:

[quote]TheJonty wrote:

[quote]KBCThird wrote:
Even mouth-breathing sheeple who picture steroid users with a band around their arm searching for a vein know intuitively that these guys arent just the genetic elite, and that the size of the average linemen hasnt increased something like 80 lbs in the last 25-35 years because of a better understanding of nutrition.[/quote]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure football players 25-35 years ago didn’t have quite the same weight training regimen as players do these days. Not saying PEDs didn’t play a part, just saying.[/quote]

To the best of my understanding the pros have been lifting since at least the early 70s. I know back in the day teh common misconception was that lifting weights leaves you musclebound, slow, etc, but I believe that was more in the 50s and 60s and died out first int eh nfl, while persisting longer in college and high school.

If you mean that they were lifting but the programs are that much better today, I simply dont believe that coaches of today are responsible for 80 additional lbs of mass. A crappy program, well-executed will still take you to within 90% (maybe more) of your potential, a superior program will likely make a difference of less than 10%. Obviously all this is my opinion and nobody’s ever researched it, because there’s no way to do so.[/quote]

A friend of mines mom used to date an ex-Packers player who’s now a lawyer here in Houston. He played in the mid 70’s, and he said that lifting for him and the other lineman made a huge difference in their performance, but they had to convince the coaches that it wouldn’t make 'em “slow and musclebound”.

His reasoning was “a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, and a stronger muscle is a faster muscle”. For a guy that never really read any strength training lierature I thought that was pretty astute of him. He also said their sessions lasted well over 3 hours and they’d basically kill themselves each session, haha.[/quote]

Itâ??s not so much the lifting high school and college that has changed, but rather its more focused and deliberate. That in combination with a better understanding of nutritionâ??s role in strength training really makes a difference.

I mean think about the change in the quality and the availability of even protein supplements over the last 20 years. If anything steroid use was probably more prevalent prior to the NFL starting testing in 1987. Why werenâ??t those players as big as todayâ??s?

204

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvWP0lmBJWhTiI4tVBeQ2xM5nYcB?slug=ap-texans-cushing

"HOUSTON (AP)â??Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing(notes) said Thursday he never used any banned substances even though he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Cushing was suspended for four games without pay last week for violating the NFLâ??s drug policy. His appeal was denied.

Cushing confirmed he tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the leagueâ??s banned substance list.

â??The question of how it got into my body is still unclear,â?? he said. â??Itâ??s something that Iâ??m very personally concerned about, just the fact that how itâ??s there and whatâ??s going to determine it from happening again, and thatâ??s something weâ??re going to have to medically investigate.â??
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He said that after failing the test, he was told HCG can get in your body from injecting it or because of tumors. He said this information led him to believe he had tumors. He did not say what kind of tumors.

â??I personally know Iâ??m not injecting myself with anything,â?? he said. â??I played the whole season thinking this could not only be my last season, but my last year.â??

Cushing added he is concerned about his health and plans to undergo tests to see â??how this got into my bodyâ?? and to try to make sure it doesnâ??t happen again.

In a statement Saturday, Cushing said the test indicated â??the presence of a non-steroidal banned substance.â?? He said he took the test in September and was notified of the results in October.

Dr. Gary Wadler, who leads the committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agencyâ??s banned-substances list, said there have been cases of malignant testicular tumors producing HCG. Still, those cases are â??extremely rare.â??

â??If he had a tumor that produced HCG, he wouldnâ??t be playing football,â?? Wadler said of Cushing. â??He would be under treatment for a malignant tumor.â??

Wadler also noted if Cushing tested positive once because of such a tumor, HCG levels would be consistently elevated and he would continue to have positive tests.

â??Malignant testicular tumors producing HCG are rather lethal,â?? Wadler said. â??It is a fairly aggressive tumor and youâ??re not playing in the NFL with one.â??"

205

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]KBCThird wrote:

[quote]TheJonty wrote:

[quote]KBCThird wrote:
Even mouth-breathing sheeple who picture steroid users with a band around their arm searching for a vein know intuitively that these guys arent just the genetic elite, and that the size of the average linemen hasnt increased something like 80 lbs in the last 25-35 years because of a better understanding of nutrition.[/quote]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure football players 25-35 years ago didn’t have quite the same weight training regimen as players do these days. Not saying PEDs didn’t play a part, just saying.[/quote]

To the best of my understanding the pros have been lifting since at least the early 70s. I know back in the day teh common misconception was that lifting weights leaves you musclebound, slow, etc, but I believe that was more in the 50s and 60s and died out first int eh nfl, while persisting longer in college and high school.

If you mean that they were lifting but the programs are that much better today, I simply dont believe that coaches of today are responsible for 80 additional lbs of mass. A crappy program, well-executed will still take you to within 90% (maybe more) of your potential, a superior program will likely make a difference of less than 10%. Obviously all this is my opinion and nobody’s ever researched it, because there’s no way to do so.[/quote]

A friend of mines mom used to date an ex-Packers player who’s now a lawyer here in Houston. He played in the mid 70’s, and he said that lifting for him and the other lineman made a huge difference in their performance, but they had to convince the coaches that it wouldn’t make 'em “slow and musclebound”.

His reasoning was “a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, and a stronger muscle is a faster muscle”. For a guy that never really read any strength training lierature I thought that was pretty astute of him. He also said their sessions lasted well over 3 hours and they’d basically kill themselves each session, haha.[/quote]

Well, I guess I’ve been corrected. Although, reading it over again, saying that the average size of the linemen has increased 80 pounds might be a bit of a stretch (I didn’t think there were linemen back in the 70s who only weighed 220-240, although again, I may be wrong).

206

[quote]lavi wrote:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvWP0lmBJWhTiI4tVBeQ2xM5nYcB?slug=ap-texans-cushing

"HOUSTON (AP)â??Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing(notes) said Thursday he never used any banned substances even though he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Cushing was suspended for four games without pay last week for violating the NFLâ??s drug policy. His appeal was denied.

Cushing confirmed he tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the leagueâ??s banned substance list.

â??The question of how it got into my body is still unclear,â?? he said. â??Itâ??s something that Iâ??m very personally concerned about, just the fact that how itâ??s there and whatâ??s going to determine it from happening again, and thatâ??s something weâ??re going to have to medically investigate.â??
ADVERTISEMENT

He said that after failing the test, he was told HCG can get in your body from injecting it or because of tumors. He said this information led him to believe he had tumors. He did not say what kind of tumors.

â??I personally know Iâ??m not injecting myself with anything,â?? he said. â??I played the whole season thinking this could not only be my last season, but my last year.â??

Cushing added he is concerned about his health and plans to undergo tests to see â??how this got into my bodyâ?? and to try to make sure it doesnâ??t happen again.

In a statement Saturday, Cushing said the test indicated â??the presence of a non-steroidal banned substance.â?? He said he took the test in September and was notified of the results in October.

Dr. Gary Wadler, who leads the committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agencyâ??s banned-substances list, said there have been cases of malignant testicular tumors producing HCG. Still, those cases are â??extremely rare.â??

â??If he had a tumor that produced HCG, he wouldnâ??t be playing football,â?? Wadler said of Cushing. â??He would be under treatment for a malignant tumor.â??

Wadler also noted if Cushing tested positive once because of such a tumor, HCG levels would be consistently elevated and he would continue to have positive tests.

â??Malignant testicular tumors producing HCG are rather lethal,â?? Wadler said. â??It is a fairly aggressive tumor and youâ??re not playing in the NFL with one.â??"[/quote]

For the record. Gary Wadler is a piece of shit snake that will do anything and everything (including lie; watch “Bigger Stronger Faster” for a start) to bring negative attention to steroid use.

207

There’s more factors to it than just lifting and nutrition, the NFL is such a different beast now. It’s popularity has constantly grown, it’s salaries have skyrocketed, and that trickles down to every level.

Colleges are recruiting more actively, high schools are ‘recruiting’(not legally allowed to, but we know it happens), and that all adds the the competition within the playerbase for spots in the NFL, which leads to bigger, faster, stronger, better athletes.

208

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]lavi wrote:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvWP0lmBJWhTiI4tVBeQ2xM5nYcB?slug=ap-texans-cushing

"HOUSTON (AP)�?�¢??Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing(notes) said Thursday he never used any banned substances even though he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Cushing was suspended for four games without pay last week for violating the NFL�?�¢??s drug policy. His appeal was denied.

Cushing confirmed he tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the league�?�¢??s banned substance list.

�?�¢??The question of how it got into my body is still unclear,�?�¢?? he said. �?�¢??It�?�¢??s something that I�?�¢??m very personally concerned about, just the fact that how it�?�¢??s there and what�?�¢??s going to determine it from happening again, and that�?�¢??s something we�?�¢??re going to have to medically investigate.�?�¢??
ADVERTISEMENT

He said that after failing the test, he was told HCG can get in your body from injecting it or because of tumors. He said this information led him to believe he had tumors. He did not say what kind of tumors.

�?�¢??I personally know I�?�¢??m not injecting myself with anything,�?�¢?? he said. �?�¢??I played the whole season thinking this could not only be my last season, but my last year.�?�¢??

Cushing added he is concerned about his health and plans to undergo tests to see �?�¢??how this got into my body�?�¢?? and to try to make sure it doesn�?�¢??t happen again.

In a statement Saturday, Cushing said the test indicated �?�¢??the presence of a non-steroidal banned substance.�?�¢?? He said he took the test in September and was notified of the results in October.

Dr. Gary Wadler, who leads the committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agency�?�¢??s banned-substances list, said there have been cases of malignant testicular tumors producing HCG. Still, those cases are �?�¢??extremely rare.�?�¢??

�?�¢??If he had a tumor that produced HCG, he wouldn�?�¢??t be playing football,�?�¢?? Wadler said of Cushing. �?�¢??He would be under treatment for a malignant tumor.�?�¢??

Wadler also noted if Cushing tested positive once because of such a tumor, HCG levels would be consistently elevated and he would continue to have positive tests.

�?�¢??Malignant testicular tumors producing HCG are rather lethal,�?�¢?? Wadler said. �?�¢??It is a fairly aggressive tumor and you�?�¢??re not playing in the NFL with one.�?�¢??"[/quote]

For the record. Gary Wadler is a piece of shit snake that will do anything and everything (including lie; watch “Bigger Stronger Faster” for a start) to bring negative attention to steroid use. [/quote]

Ah. I actually saw Bigger Stronger Faster, but my memory is pretty weak :stuck_out_tongue:

Still, I don’t find Cushing words to be very convincing. I would think he would have undergone whatever tests he is talking about and would know by now if he had a tumor. No one goes “Hmm I might have a deadly tumor, I should probably look into that in 8 months or so.” Seems like he is just trying to drag it out until people start to forget about the issue?

209

[quote]lavi wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]lavi wrote:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvWP0lmBJWhTiI4tVBeQ2xM5nYcB?slug=ap-texans-cushing

"HOUSTON (AP)�?�¢??Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing(notes) said Thursday he never used any banned substances even though he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Cushing was suspended for four games without pay last week for violating the NFL�?�¢??s drug policy. His appeal was denied.

Cushing confirmed he tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the league�?�¢??s banned substance list.

�?�¢??The question of how it got into my body is still unclear,�?�¢?? he said. �?�¢??It�?�¢??s something that I�?�¢??m very personally concerned about, just the fact that how it�?�¢??s there and what�?�¢??s going to determine it from happening again, and that�?�¢??s something we�?�¢??re going to have to medically investigate.�?�¢??
ADVERTISEMENT

He said that after failing the test, he was told HCG can get in your body from injecting it or because of tumors. He said this information led him to believe he had tumors. He did not say what kind of tumors.

�?�¢??I personally know I�?�¢??m not injecting myself with anything,�?�¢?? he said. �?�¢??I played the whole season thinking this could not only be my last season, but my last year.�?�¢??

Cushing added he is concerned about his health and plans to undergo tests to see �?�¢??how this got into my body�?�¢?? and to try to make sure it doesn�?�¢??t happen again.

In a statement Saturday, Cushing said the test indicated �?�¢??the presence of a non-steroidal banned substance.�?�¢?? He said he took the test in September and was notified of the results in October.

Dr. Gary Wadler, who leads the committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agency�?�¢??s banned-substances list, said there have been cases of malignant testicular tumors producing HCG. Still, those cases are �?�¢??extremely rare.�?�¢??

�?�¢??If he had a tumor that produced HCG, he wouldn�?�¢??t be playing football,�?�¢?? Wadler said of Cushing. �?�¢??He would be under treatment for a malignant tumor.�?�¢??

Wadler also noted if Cushing tested positive once because of such a tumor, HCG levels would be consistently elevated and he would continue to have positive tests.

�?�¢??Malignant testicular tumors producing HCG are rather lethal,�?�¢?? Wadler said. �?�¢??It is a fairly aggressive tumor and you�?�¢??re not playing in the NFL with one.�?�¢??"[/quote]

For the record. Gary Wadler is a piece of shit snake that will do anything and everything (including lie; watch “Bigger Stronger Faster” for a start) to bring negative attention to steroid use. [/quote]

Ah. I actually saw Bigger Stronger Faster, but my memory is pretty weak :stuck_out_tongue:

Still, I don’t find Cushing words to be very convincing. I would think he would have undergone whatever tests he is talking about and would know by now if he had a tumor. Seems like he is just trying to drag it out until people start to forget about the issue. I don’t know…[/quote]

Yea I have no clue what’s going on. But I sure as hell dont believe gary dipshit wadler

210

Some sports analysts calling Cushing a liar:

Retrived 5/13/2010 from Jarrett's roughing the passer call perplexes Falcons, fans | Xfinity (hope it is in MLA format)

Why we should not take Cushing’s word
Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com
Thu May 13, 7:49 PM EDT

HOUSTON - I wish I believed Brian Cushing was telling the truth.

I canâ??t.

In fact, Iâ??m more dubious now than I was before the Houston Texans linebacker spoke publicly about his failed NFL steroid test.

I flew from Miami to Houston on short notice Thursday for a news conference because I wanted to see and hear firsthand what Cushing had to say. I didnâ??t cast my ballot for Cushing in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year re-vote because, beyond a brief statement, he had failed to come forward in the five days since news of the failed test surfaced.

Cushing said his silence stemmed from having to spend time with his family in New Jersey following the death of his aunt. Fair enough. This was his chance to convince me I made a mistake in changing my vote to Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd.

Cushing still won the Associated Press award without my support. But what transpired inside Reliant Stadium made me more certain I did the right thing even when 18 of my peers didnâ??t.

Clearly nervous addressing a crowd of 30-something reporters and 11 video cameras, the 23-year-old stammered through his prepared opening speech. He acknowledged testing positive for a substance – HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) – that is normally found in pregnant women. In the context of athletics and performance-enhancing substances, HCG is a fertility drug often taken by steroid users to boost natural testosterone production at the end of a cycle. This is prohibited under the leagueâ??s drug-testing policy.

Cushing said that he didnâ??t know what HCG was before last Septemberâ??s failed test. Cushing insisted he never ingested or injected HCG.

Cushing then dropped the bombshell that makes me think his HCG claims were B.S.

â??I was told the only way it could get into your body was through injection or a tumor,â?? Cushing said. â??I personally donâ??t inject myself with anything. I played this whole season not only thinking it could be my last season but my last year.â??

Whoa!

Not to diminish the possibility Cushing may be afflicted with a serious medical condition that could be revealed in future medical testing – I pray thatâ??s not the case – but the tumor revelation was news to even those who intimately know Cushing.

Like the Texans themselves.

Even for a player with such a passion for football, itâ??s implausible that Cushing wouldnâ??t have addressed a potential life-or-death matter with Texans officials, doctors or teammates. Fellow linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who is one of Cushingâ??s closest friends on the roster, admits he â??didnâ??t know anything about tumors.â??

Texans general manager Rick Smith and head coach Gary Kubiak left the news conference without taking questions. A request for a team comment about Cushingâ??s tumor claim was responded with, “No comment.”

Really, what can the franchise say that wouldnâ??t cause further embarrassment?

Harold Henderson didnâ??t believe Cushingâ??s excuses, either. Henderson was the league executive appointed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to hear Cushingâ??s appeal in February. It was rejected. Cushing, who said he would not try to fight the decision in court, will be suspended for the Texans’ first four games this season.

Cushing came to the podium Thursday with no tangible, physical proof of his innocence. No medical records. No supporting physician. Not even an attorney. Instead, we were merely supposed to take the word of a played already dogged by rumors of steroid use since college at face value.

Again, I canâ??t. As adamant as Cushing was in proclaiming his innocence Thursday, weâ??ve gone down that road too many times with dirty athletes who would rather blame the drug-testing system than confess their guilt.

I hope Cushing gets his â??medical issuesâ?? corrected. Iâ??d love to see him present documentation and statements to clear his name. I hope he never tests positive again. I hope he doesnâ??t have to spend what can be a glorious NFL career remembered as this generationâ??s face of steroid use.

In the team meeting room where Cushing spoke, 18 posters of Texans greats hang from the walls â?? including Cushing himself. It was here that Cushing swore he would â??never do anything to cheat this game.â??

He already has.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Courtesy of FOXSports.com

© 2010 Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

211

I’d like to know why Cushing gets all the press while Merriman, a player just as lauded, no, MORE lauded, tested positive as well. Who is making Cushing a scapegoat? Why is it Cushing and not Merriman or the Williams Wall? This is fucking BS, there’s more to the story. is it a racial issue?

212

Found this. He did have shoulder surgery :

" So Iâ??ve decided to weigh in on this since I know more about this story than most of the publicâ?¦ one of my college roommates and now post college roommate is long time friends with Brian Cushing, they attended Bergen Catholic in NJ togetherâ?¦

Clearly what people donâ??t understand is that the before pic is after he had shoulder surgery and was unable to do any sort of exercising for 3 monthsâ?¦ "

213

[quote]Sonny S wrote:
I’d like to know why Cushing gets all the press while Merriman, a player just as lauded, no, MORE lauded, tested positive as well. Who is making Cushing a scapegoat? Why is it Cushing and not Merriman or the Williams Wall? This is fucking BS, there’s more to the story. is it a racial issue?[/quote]

Merriman got a ton of press I’m not sure what you’re on about, and the Williams wall have no been involved in a 2 year trial process with probably the most press of the 3 incidents. You also need to consider that there were no awards to revote for them, and they didn’t claim innocence(well the Williams wall have fought the suspension, but not through denial of taking the diuretic).

You’re looking for bullshit that isn’t there, the story is that Cushing got popped on a test and is denying it, that’s a story regardless of race.

214

some facts:

215

[quote]Kerley wrote:
some facts:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7006235.html[/quote]

Are those really facts, or are they facts according to the agent? Hoenset question, not starting shit.

216

The NFL ‘expert’ that says males CANT produce it should have his credentials checked. I said it couldn’t be produced naturally by a male but I was wrong and I am far from an expert. After doing a google search a dozen or so different medical references give a range of hCG that males can produce. Saying that no man can ever produce any is kinda crazy with the information that is available at this point.

217

I’m surprised that as much detail as that seemed to go into, we still are missing things like, the exact level of hCG that can be present in an athlete’s system before it is considered a failed test, and the level at which Cushing tested. They can say “barely above the limit” but what exactly does that mean? From what I can find reading around the medical internets(=p) the ‘normal’ level for men is less than 5 IU/L.

I must say though that if what that articles says about the conflicting testimony of the NFL experts is true, I am shocked that the ruling still went against Cushing. That makes me question further whether we are being given all of the information still, I find it hard to believe a judge would rule in favor of the NFL with conflicting statements without having good reason to basically throw out the relevancy of what they said in the first place. Possibly misplaced faith in the judicial system there.

218

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:
The NFL ‘expert’ that says males CANT produce it should have his credentials checked. I said it couldn’t be produced naturally by a male but I was wrong and I am far from an expert.

After doing a google search a dozen or so different medical references give a range of hCG that males can produce. Saying that no man can ever produce any is kinda crazy with the information that is available at this point. [/quote]

And thanks for pointing that out in your earlier post…We’ve now come to a point where the question is, are the ones spreading false info just misinformed (while being presented as “experts”) or are they actually pushing an agenda?

I’m not one for “conspiracy theories” but the NFL does have a reason (money) to protect their image through sacrificing a few players to the general public. And it seems odd that an “expert” wouldn’t know something that Bonez found out with a little time and access to google.

Or maybe the “experts” just took it upon themselves to try to “crack down on roidz”. Maybe they just didn’t care enough to present accurate facts on television.

219

You say Merriman “got a ton of press.” Yes he did. What he didn’t get was the sheer volume of criticism Cushing has and more importantly, the calls for him to be stripped of his accolades.

Consider:

-Merriman won the AP DROTY for 2005, as well as a Pro Bowl berth. Reports came out 10/22/2006 that he had tested positive and would be suspended.

I never heard calls for him to be stripped of the DROTY award, did you?
I never read where a columnist wrote he should be taken off the Pro Bowl team, did you?

-Only a few months later, Merriman won the highest honor there is behind MVP and Defensive POTY: 1st team all pro for the 2006 season, the season in which it was announced he tested positive.

I never heard calls for him to be removed from the team, did you?

-That year he also was elected to his 2nd Pro Bowl.

I never heard calls for him to be removed from the Pro Bowl, did you?

-I didn’t read columnists outright calling for him to be stripped of any awards or accolades or sports radio hosts saying the same thing.

  • I have also never heard calls for the Williamses to be taken off the Pro Bowl teams.

So if its not a racial thing, why does Cushing seem to get the harshest of possible treatments, including a re-vote of the award, when compared to a similar player?

Why the difference in treatment? I can understand the Williamses are dlinemen and not LBs, they’re not as flashy and don’t get as much attention from the media and fans in general.

[quote]red04 wrote:

[quote]Sonny S wrote:
I’d like to know why Cushing gets all the press while Merriman, a player just as lauded, no, MORE lauded, tested positive as well. Who is making Cushing a scapegoat? Why is it Cushing and not Merriman or the Williams Wall? This is fucking BS, there’s more to the story. is it a racial issue?[/quote]

Merriman got a ton of press I’m not sure what you’re on about, and the Williams wall have no been involved in a 2 year trial process with probably the most press of the 3 incidents. You also need to consider that there were no awards to revote for them, and they didn’t claim innocence(well the Williams wall have fought the suspension, but not through denial of taking the diuretic).

You’re looking for bullshit that isn’t there, the story is that Cushing got popped on a test and is denying it, that’s a story regardless of race.[/quote]

220

[quote]red04 wrote:
I’m surprised that as much detail as that seemed to go into, we still are missing things like, the exact level of hCG that can be present in an athlete’s system before it is considered a failed test, and the level at which Cushing tested. They can say “barely above the limit” but what exactly does that mean? From what I can find reading around the medical internets(=p) the ‘normal’ level for men is less than 5 IU/L.

I must say though that if what that articles says about the conflicting testimony of the NFL experts is true, I am shocked that the ruling still went against Cushing. That makes me question further whether we are being given all of the information still, I find it hard to believe a judge would rule in favor of the NFL with conflicting statements without having good reason to basically throw out the relevancy of what they said in the first place. Possibly misplaced faith in the judicial system there.[/quote]

I didnt get teh feeling that this was an actual trial, involving a state or federal court. He hasnt had any criminal charges filed against him, and he hasn’t sued his employer, yet, to the best of my knowledge. I believe this was just an internmal nfl proceeding, or possibly presided over by an arbiter. We really have no idea what the burden of proof is - reasonable doubt? a preponderance of evidence? - nor on whom it lies.