Cushing’s positive test was for hCG
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brian Cushing’s positive drug test back in September of last year was for abnormally elevated levels of “hCG,” which is a non-steroidal substance produced naturally in the body.
The problem is that it’s often taken by steroid users to restore testicular size after doing a cycle. Cushing claims that the positive test wasn’t due to steroids and while that may be technically true, the “hCG” may have been taken to mask his use of roids.
If “hCG” sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same thing Manny Ramirez was suspended for in 2009. It’s disappointing that athletes are still doping, but it’s reassuring that they’re being caught in both sports. We’d be naïve to believe that all athletes are clean, but at least when they’re caught, they’re being punished.
Speaking of punishment, this report doesn’t help Cushing’s case for keeping his ROY award. The AP is already considering having a re-vote and if his suspension really was due to his steroid use (or his masking of his steroid use), then voters are going to have a hard time not stripping the award from him.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.
Its also the hormone used to see if women are pregnant. So either he was using it to boost his natural levels back up, which it does.
Or perhaps he is pregnant.?
Haha – good point, John.
If he is expecting, he’s out for the 2010 season and that’ll be a big blow to the Texans’ playoff hopes.
Thats true.
Could you imagine showing up with a potbelly wk5 haha.
Well clearly he took something to up his system.
Whether he needed it from roids, prohormones, or another supplement, he knows better.
Sad really, he was a stud last year.
I agree – you hate to see young, good players make mistakes like these. But this is the NFL, where people forget rather quickly if someone cheated.
Hardly anyone remembers or talks about Julius Peppers and Shawne Merriman getting busted.
And really, lets be real here.
60-70% of the NFL use roids, hormones, supplements of some kind. Its just those who get caught.
Remember Jim Miller, a pudgym slow, weak arm QB from the Bears. He took a “banned” legal supplement his wife bought at GNC. So what are the Ray Lewis’s, T Suggs’, Adrian Petersons’, Reggie Bush’s ect… taking???
you know whats sad is, if you remember
a QB in Chicago, Jim Miller.
Pudgy, slow, ave arm, well he tested positive for a natural test booster. it was sold at GNC and he got a fine and 4 games off.
So if he is doing that, what are the freaks doing??????