Reports of more positive tests: Cushing, Matthews, Harvin, Davis (1 Viewer)

[massraider]

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/usc_li...t_positive.html

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/three_...t_positive.html

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

We had Rick from Draft Bible on the show tonight (and Andrew and Josh Buchanan), the episode should go up tomorrow check it out on iTunes

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

We had Rick from Draft Bible on the show tonight (and Andrew and Josh Buchanan), the episode should go up tomorrow check it out on iTunes

Discussing this story?

Yes sir

 

[massraider]

We had Rick from Draft Bible on the show tonight (and Andrew and Josh Buchanan), the episode should go up tomorrow check it out on iTunes

A nice scoop for those guys. Good for them, nice little site.I wonder who falls the most. I am gonna say Vontae Davis.

 

[massraider]

Hey, kickers are people too!

Breaking News: UTEP Kicker Tests Positive Written by NFL Draft Bible Thursday, 02 April 2009 22:35 UTEP K Jose Martinez tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to various sources and confirmed by UTEP.

God, I am so sick of these thug kickers.

 

[RexGrossman Fan]

If this is actually true, I'm speechless. If you're going to smoke reefer, at least wait until after the draft you idiots.

 

[massraider]

If this is actually true, I'm speechless. If you're going to smoke reefer, at least wait until after the draft you idiots.

Completely. I said it in the other thread, the weed doesn't bother me. It bothers me that the guy can't put it down for two months before the combine. What does hat say about maturity, decison-making, and work ethic??

 

[Fullback Fro]

maybe they tested in hair samples. It can last a long time int he hair

 

[NorrisB]

Cushing, who ran a 4.7 40, said Wednesday he tested negative for steroids at the NFL Combine last month in Indianapolis. Cushing said he was bothered by a report at the combine that teams were concerned about the issue, because he never tested positive for any illegal substances.

"Yeah, it bugged me a little bit," he said. "I'm not worrying about it."

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Warren Sapp tested positive back in 1993/1994 and that dropped him to Tampa Bay at the 1.12 I want to say...that worked out pretty well for Tampa Bay. Obviously it is a suspendable offense in the NFL, and you don't want a Ricky Williams situation on your hands but I would not let that test completely stop me as a GM from drafting a player if i knew he had the goods and could be talked to about it.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Link to Draft Talk Live - Rick Serritella appears about 30 minutes in.

 

[Jason Wood]

Interesting. NFL Draft Bible [a friend to The Audible] breaks a major story here, this is a "make or break" kind of deal for them. Interesting to see if the major outlets can confirm these reports.

 

[=Smackdown=]

False rumors started by shady GM's with the hopes that some of these guys drop to the latter half of the 1st rd?

 

[Spark026]

These guys are football players, IN COLLEGE, and likely very popular. I'm suprised they all don't test positive. The ones that pass probably just have a good enough agent to get them something to clense them out a few weeks before the combine. The ones that fail are just the ones that weren't honest with the agent in the first place.

But I agree, still a dumb move that they can't hold off for at least a few months, when it can cost you a few $100K on draft day.

 

[T Man]

As others mentioned, even if you view weed as something everyone in college does, you certainly don't smoke it before an interview for a multi-million dollar job especially if you know that there will be a test. Intelligence and maturity are issues here. This also puts them in the substance abuse program. This, however, does not alter the talent that Davis, Raji and Harvin have. Just a question mark as to whether they will get suspended and leave a team hanging.

A bigger issue to me is the alleged positive steroids tests of Cushing and Matthews. Same issue as marihuana, but add the fact that steroids make them bigger, stronger, and better. They have performed wonderfully, but can they keep it up without the steroids? I am sure some teams will ignore, but this is a huge red flag to me.

 

[Football Jones]

The steroids are a bigger deal to me, but still, there's no excuse for smoking weed when you know you'll be tested. I'd be curious to see a study of all the players who tested positive for weed before the draft (not during college) & what kind of NFL careers they had.

 

[ImTheScientist]

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/usc_li...t_positive.html

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/three_...t_positive.html

Word is some of this may be put out by teams hoping players fall.

 

[Wu-banger]

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/usc_li...t_positive.html

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/three_...t_positive.html

..both links are down.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

False rumors started by shady GM's with the hopes that some of these guys drop to the latter half of the 1st rd?

Could be, but ESPN and SI have the BJ Raji story so there might be something here. It's really not shocking or surprising that some top prospects test positive for either weed or 'roids.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/usc_li...t_positive.html

http://www.nfldraftbible.com/Latest/three_...t_positive.html

..both links are down.

They work for me

 

[massraider]

Warren Sapp tested positive back in 1993/1994 and that dropped him to Tampa Bay at the 1.12 I want to say...that worked out pretty well for Tampa Bay. Obviously it is a suspendable offense in the NFL, and you don't want a Ricky Williams situation on your hands but I would not let that test completely stop me as a GM from drafting a player if i knew he had the goods and could be talked to about it.

IIRC correctly, there were rumors abour Sapp, not a positive Combine test.

 

[TLEF316]

People around Jersey have been talking about Cushing being on steroids for years. I'd be pretty surprised if he was totally clean.

Personally, i dont think the weed thing should be a big deal. However, it does signal stupidity if the player does it before the combine. very dumb/immature thing.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Warren Sapp tested positive back in 1993/1994 and that dropped him to Tampa Bay at the 1.12 I want to say...that worked out pretty well for Tampa Bay. Obviously it is a suspendable offense in the NFL, and you don't want a Ricky Williams situation on your hands but I would not let that test completely stop me as a GM from drafting a player if i knew he had the goods and could be talked to about it.

IIRC correctly, there were rumors abour Sapp, not a positive Combine test.

It was true. Dude smoked tons of weed. That's really all he did was smoke herb and play NBA Live (at my buddy's frat house, that's how I know.)

 

[Gold Plated Nails]

People around Jersey have been talking about Cushing being on steroids for years. I'd be pretty surprised if he was totally clean.

Personally, i dont think the weed thing should be a big deal. However, it does signal stupidity if the player does it before the combine. very dumb/immature thing.

Cushing on Roids, noway.. j/kCheck out the pics from the Charger Homer Message Board.

http://forum.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=97299

 

[massraider]

Warren Sapp tested positive back in 1993/1994 and that dropped him to Tampa Bay at the 1.12 I want to say...that worked out pretty well for Tampa Bay. Obviously it is a suspendable offense in the NFL, and you don't want a Ricky Williams situation on your hands but I would not let that test completely stop me as a GM from drafting a player if i knew he had the goods and could be talked to about it.

IIRC correctly, there were rumors abour Sapp, not a positive Combine test.

It was true. Dude smoked tons of weed. That's really all he did was smoke herb and play NBA Live (at my buddy's frat house, that's how I know.)

Oh, I have no doubt. But he had the brains to not test positive.

Unlike say, a Ricky Williams.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

People around Jersey have been talking about Cushing being on steroids for years. I'd be pretty surprised if he was totally clean.

Personally, i dont think the weed thing should be a big deal. However, it does signal stupidity if the player does it before the combine. very dumb/immature thing.

Cushing on Roids, noway.. j/kCheck out the pics from the Charger Homer Message Board.

http://forum.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=97299

LOL, that man boobs pic is one of the two that I mentioned in a thread about this several weeks ago. That and another one from several months later in which he is ripped were making the rounds on the Rivals message boards. Not really a surprise.

 

[NorrisB]

People around Jersey have been talking about Cushing being on steroids for years. I'd be pretty surprised if he was totally clean.

Personally, i dont think the weed thing should be a big deal. However, it does signal stupidity if the player does it before the combine. very dumb/immature thing.

Cushing on Roids, noway.. j/kCheck out the pics from the Charger Homer Message Board.

http://forum.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=97299

LOL, that man boobs pic is one of the two that I mentioned in a thread about this several weeks ago. That and another one from several months later in which he is ripped were making the rounds on the Rivals message boards. Not really a surprise.

Guy was coming off an injury where he couldnt work out. And two three years ago.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

People around Jersey have been talking about Cushing being on steroids for years. I'd be pretty surprised if he was totally clean.

Personally, i dont think the weed thing should be a big deal. However, it does signal stupidity if the player does it before the combine. very dumb/immature thing.

Cushing on Roids, noway.. j/kCheck out the pics from the Charger Homer Message Board.

http://forum.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=97299

LOL, that man boobs pic is one of the two that I mentioned in a thread about this several weeks ago. That and another one from several months later in which he is ripped were making the rounds on the Rivals message boards. Not really a surprise.

Guy was coming off an injury where he couldnt work out. And two years ago.

So guys coming off injuries don't use steroids to heal and get back to normal strength quicker? I thought that was Castillo's excuse.

 

[trader jake]

It's lame that all this speculation is out there with nothing concrete to back it up. The NFL needs to squash the leaks if accurate and the players should sue if they are inaccurate. (I'm not questioning their validity, just how they have gotten out there and won't comment on the board about them until a more reputable source confirms them).

BTW - At the risk of further offending a friend of FBG's...how does that site legally use "NFL" in their title? I'd bet the league takes a sudden interest in them.

 

[massraider]

Report of Matthews Drug Test Refuted

Posted by Aaron Wilson on April 3, 2009, 2:19 p.m.

In response to NFL Draft Bible’s report that USC linebacker Clay Matthews tested positive for steroids at the NFL Scouting Combine, the agent that represents Matthews has issued a denial.

In an e-mail sent to Rick Serritella at NFL Draft Bible from Athletes First vice president and general counsel Mark Humenik stated that neither Matthews or his agents have been informed of any failed drug test. Plus, he added that a lawyer for the league office told him that the NFL hasn’t received notification that any players have tested positive for steroids at the combine.

NFL Draft Bible also reported that USC linebacker Brian Cushing has tested positive for steroids.

Here’s an unabridged copy of the note addressed to NFL Draft Bible, which is the Web site that reported on Matthews and several other players’ allegedly positive tests:

“Our office represents Clay Matthews. Your website is reporting, via unnamed sources including one NFL team, that Clay tested positive for steroids at the NFL Combine. As I’m sure you know, the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances clearly states that ‘any Club or Club employee that publicly divulges, directly or indirectly, information concerning positive tests or other violations of this Policy (including numerical summaries or specific names of persons) or otherwise breaches the confidentiality provisions of this Policy is subject to a fine of up to $500,000 by the Commissioner.’

“Further, neither Clay nor our office has received notification of any positive test, whether for steroids or any banned substance. I also have been informed by an attorney at the NFL League Office that they have not received notification from the Independent Administrator of any Draft-eligible players testing positive for steroids during the pre-employment drug testing conducted at this year’s Combine, and likewise, that they have not informed the member NFL clubs of any drug testing results. Govern yourself accordingly.

Sincerely, Mark Humenik Vice President & General Counsel Athletes First”

Now, it certainly seems like Matthews is clean. But the letter above was fired off within hours of the story. Where was the BJ Raji denial letter? Same company, BTW, Athletes First.

 

[Leroy's Aces]

Cushing could but on steroids but....a body transformation like that could EASILY occur naturally with the proper diet and exercise over the course of 3 years. In fact, for a college linebacker looking to go pro eventually, it should occur. For example, go to www.leangains.com and look at John from the the February 16th post. That regular guy went from 202 and flabby to an almost ripped 184 in just 12 weeks and he even looks all juiced up. He was just eating correctly, hitting his nutrient macros (250g of clean protein daily and a calorie deficit will do it), lifting heavy and doing basic cardio. I am down 10 pounds in a month while increasing lift poundages on the same program.

 

[Drop]

False rumors started by shady GM's with the hopes that some of these guys drop to the latter half of the 1st rd?

Don't all the teams get the test results? A shady GM isn't going to fool other teams by leaking false information in this case. The information may have some affect on perceived draft stock to the general public, but what the public thinks doesn't really matter when compared to what NFL teams actually know.

 

[RockHard]

Now, it certainly seems like Matthews is clean. But the letter above was fired off within hours of the story. Where was the BJ Raji denial letter? Same company, BTW, Athletes First.

There was no denial in that statement, only a threat to those who divulged that type of information.

 

[massraider]

Now, it certainly seems like Matthews is clean. But the letter above was fired off within hours of the story. Where was the BJ Raji denial letter? Same company, BTW, Athletes First.

There was no denial in that statement, only a threat to those who divulged that type of information.

There was no statement AT ALL when the Raji news broke. A company firing off stern letters for one guy, but not the other, could be seen as an admission of guilt.

 

[Jason Wood]

Not a good look at all as NFL tells Matthews and Cushing they are in the clear.

Sigmund and Cec, I really hope you guys take an opportunity to have NFL Draft Bible clear the air about this when they come on your show this week.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-c...o&type=lgns

The doctor who administers the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs told highly regarded USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews Jr. on Friday that neither tested positive for banned substances, including steroids, according to sources close to both players.

Cushing and Matthews were included in previous reports indicating that up to six prominent players had tested positive for performance-enhancing or recreational drugs in tests administered in February at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Also named were Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji, Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis, Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin and UTEP kicker Jose Martinez. Cushing, Raji, Davis and Harvin all are projected to be first-round picks in the NFL draft later this month.

NFLDraftbible.com reported that Cushing and Matthews tested positive for steroids and the other four for marijuana. SI.com, meanwhile, also reported that Raji had tested positive for a banned substance.

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The sources said Cushing and Matthews both went straight to Dr. John Lombardo to find out about the reports. The sources said the two players were told by Lombardo, who administers the league’s drug policy, that they had nothing to worry about. The sources said Lombardo further explained to the players that if they had tested positive, they already would have received letters indicating as much. The letters reportedly were sent out three weeks ago, and the sources said that neither player received such a letter.

Representatives for Cushing, Matthews and Davis issued statements asserting that their clients hadn’t tested positive. The sources close to Cushing and Matthews had no personal knowledge of whether the other four players named in the report had received letters.

A statement issued by the NFL also indicated that any players who had tested positive should already have been notified, and explained clubs have not been informed of the results of the drug screenings that were done at the combine.

“Neither the 32 clubs nor the league office know the results of drug or steroid tests taken at the 2009 combine,” the statement read. “The independent medical advisors who administer the tests have notified in writing those players and only those players who tested positive at the combine.”

It’s unclear if these reports will have any impact on the draft. If teams find out that any players have tested positive, their draft stock will decline significantly. A player rated in the first round could easily slip to the second round if reports such as these proved to be true.

“Unfortunately, rumors about draft eligible players, including rumors about test results, begin to circulate every year at this time,” the NFL’s statement read. “Many of these rumors are circulated for self-serving reasons and they are terribly unfair to the players and their families.”

Tom Condon, who represents Cushing, was particularly strong in his response to the report.

“There is no truth to the vicious and false rumor regarding Brian Cushing’s drug test at the Combine,” Condon said. “Brian, in fact, has been informed by league representatives that his test result was negative for any banned substances. Furthermore, neither the league office nor Brian’s representatives have been contacted regarding a positive test.”

Mark Humenik, who is one of the agents for Matthews, and Todd France, who represents Davis, also issued statements refuting the reports. Humenik’s company, Athletes First, also represents Raji, but Humenik said he had yet to confirm that Raji hadn’t received a letter – but he believed his client had not. The agents for Harvin and Martinez did not return messages.

 

[Jason Wood]

This story got all kinds of run when it looked like the kids were guilty, let's at least give them their due now that the NFL is exonerating them.

 

[GroveDiesel]

This story got all kinds of run when it looked like the kids were guilty, let's at least give them their due now that the NFL is exonerating them.

Absolutely. And frankly, I'd be wondering about the relationship with NFL Draft Bible. I think I'd want to distance myself from a website that ran a story as big and damaging as that when they were obviously wrong on at least a few of the guys. With a story like that, you don't run it unless you're 100% positive that you're right.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Does anyone find this part from the Yahoo story weird though?

“Neither the 32 clubs nor the league office know the results of drug or steroid tests taken at the 2009 combine,” the statement read. “The independent medical advisors who administer the tests have notified in writing those players and only those players who tested positive at the combine.”

It’s unclear if these reports will have any impact on the draft. If teams find out that any players have tested positive, their draft stock will decline significantly. A player rated in the first round could easily slip to the second round if reports such as these proved to be true.

So the teams aren't notified of players that test positive? What's the point then?

 

[massraider]

Does anyone find this part from the Yahoo story weird though?

“Neither the 32 clubs nor the league office know the results of drug or steroid tests taken at the 2009 combine,” the statement read. “The independent medical advisors who administer the tests have notified in writing those players and only those players who tested positive at the combine.”

It’s unclear if these reports will have any impact on the draft. If teams find out that any players have tested positive, their draft stock will decline significantly. A player rated in the first round could easily slip to the second round if reports such as these proved to be true.

So the teams aren't notified of players that test positive? What's the point then?

They get an official list. What I am wondering: Is it their claim (the NFL's) that they don't have the list? Only the offending players have been notified, but the teams haven't gotten the list? A month and a half laater, three weeks before the draft, and no one has the list yet? I don't buy it.

 

[trader jake]

Absolutely. And frankly, I'd be wondering about the relationship with NFL Draft Bible. I think I'd want to distance myself from a website that ran a story as big and damaging as that when they were obviously wrong on at least a few of the guys. With a story like that, you don't run it unless you're 100% positive that you're right.

Agree 100%. Shady.