Colt's Robert Mathis Suspended 4 Games For Clomid!!

[johnnyBALLZ]

Colts' Robert Mathis suspended four games for PED - NFL.com

This is bullshit IMO.. The dude was trying to get his wife pregnant (which he did) and he gets a 4 game suspension!!

Not to mention Josh Gordon possibly out for the whole year for smoking weed!!

NFL needs to lighten up!!

 

[Undertow333]

No Fun League! I think they should all play juiced to the gills and high on the rock! [)][)][)]. In all seriousness, if that is the truth with Mathis and his wife, an appeal will most likely be filed. I thought Gordon was popped for PED's???

 

[Colt44]

Yeah this is total bullshit. Last I checked, a higher sperm count doesn't allow you to get to the QB quicker. Missing the opportunity to take it to Manning in the opener stings.

 

[Millard]

Mathis and his doctor(s) made a $705,882 mistake by not realizing that Clomid was on the NFL's banned list. We all know why it's there - Clomid is practically a standard component of many AAS users' PCT. I usually don't believe the explanations and excuses promoted by athletes for failing drug tests. But I find this one believable:

Mathis' Atlanta-based physician, identified as Steven Morganstern by [Mathis' agent, Hadley Engelhard], prescribed the fertility medication for Mathis, who began taking it in November. His wife was unable to take the drug because of a medical condition that would make multiple births extremely dangerous, according to White. Multiple births are more likely when fertility drugs are used; the Mathis' twin two-year-old sons were conceived through such treatments, according to [Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports Management and a spokesperson for Mathis].

The drug produced the desired results — Mathis' wife became pregnant — but Mathis had not checked with the NFL or NFL Players Association to determine whether the drug was allowed under the league's PED policy. ...

In a statement released through the union, Mathis, 33, said he asked his physician whether the fertility drug would create a problem with the NFL.

"Unfortunately, he incorrectly told me that it would not," Mathis said in the statement. "I made the mistake of not calling the NFL or NFLPA to double check before I took the medication at the end of last season.

Source: Robert Mathis says fertility drug prompted positive test

 

[Millard]

The NFL has no sympathy for Mathis claims:

“As Mr. Mathis’s agent acknowledged today, his client failed to follow the protocols in the policy that the NFL and NFLPA agreed upon to address precisely these kinds of claims,” the statement said. “That policy also prescribes the disciplinary consequences of a positive test. The policy does not provide — nor should it provide — for the Commissioner to override the policy’s procedures and assess discipline on an after-the-fact, ad hoc basis. Here Mr. Mathis actually withdrew his appeal and accepted discipline at the union’s suggestion. His hearing took place only after the Players Association requested that the appeal be reinstated.

“The drug for which Mr. Mathis tested positive is not approved by the FDA for fertility in males and is a performance-enhancing drug that has been prohibited for years. Importantly, Mr. Mathis did not consult with the policy’s Independent Administrator, a physician jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association. Nor did he consult with his team doctor, the team’s training staff, the NFLPA, the league office or the hotline established under the policy to give confidential information to players. Each of these sources would have warned against using this substance. A cornerstone of the program is that a player is responsible for what is in his body. Consistent application of the policy’s procedures is critical to the integrity of the program.”

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...athis--claims-about-suspension-201228083.html

 

[johnnyBALLZ]

Exactly.. ^^

Mathis, AFAIK, has also had a pretty stellar reputation throughout his career which I believe should come into play here..

 

[Undertow333]

They came back and stomped my Chiefs in the second half of their playoff game last season so I find it hard to be too sympethetic but he seems to be getting screwed over a bit here. I would still boo him if I saw him in public though. [)] I have a killer picture of Shannon Sharpe flipping me off at the 02 or 03 Arnold Classic when I booed him.

 

[Voltrader]

Roger has a zero tolerance policy. Plus a quick call to the team doc or the NFLPA would have taken care of any of this.

Ignorance of the law doesn't work for me nor should it work for Mathis.

 

[Millard]

Roger has a zero tolerance policy. Plus a quick call to the team doc or the NFLPA would have taken care of any of this.

Ignorance of the law doesn't work for me nor should it work for Mathis.

Yes, the only question is how believable is his excuse. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the zero tolerance policy is another issue entirely.

 

[Voltrader]

I think his excuse is valid. Mathis is one of the good guys and have no reason not to believe him. Still even if it was cold medicine I think I would check everything against the banned substances list.

 

[Colt44]

Therein lies the problem with testing. In an all or nothing scenario, if you choose all then exceptions and deviations to the quota are not allowed. The legitimacy of the excuse is irrelevant.

 

[JackC4]

Yeah I don't know how much I'm buying his excuse, older guy, career nearing the end ?

I'd say there is more to eat than knocking up the old lady

 

[Hagler]

I'd say the NFL should focus more on the colts owner Jim Irsay than a few fertility pills Mathis had.