Reports: Deuce, Will Smith, two other Saints fail drug test

[SaintsFanatic]

DAMN!!!!!

According to two published reports, New Orleans Saints star tailback Deuce McAllister and star defensive end Will Smith were in a group of players that have tested positive under the NFL's steroid policy as a result of taking water pills to lose weight.

Fox 31-Denver reporter Josina Anderson first reported the story, citing an unnamed NFL source, and ESPN's Chris Mortensen confirmed it later Friday with two sources. Anderson's report said four Saints players failed the test. It did not name the other two players.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel, in London with the team for its game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, said "this is a league matter and we have no comment."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello also said the league has no comment on the report.

Anderson's report cited "a rash of positive tests." The number is more than 10 and may exceed 15, two sources told Mortensen, ESPN's senior NFL analyst.

Under the NFL's steroid policy, a player's first positive test results in a four-game suspension.

According to Anderson's report, McAllister and Smith are part of a group that tested positive for a diuretic known as Bumetanide. Others tested positive for a different substance.

"Most of them tested positive for Bumetanide," said the league source, according to Fox 31-Denver. "The last few tested positive for another substance that works similarly."

A source told Fox 31-Denver that Bumetanide "can also mask the use of other drugs or steroids."

it's a freaking fluid pill, not some performance enhancing drug! Jesus Christ! What next???!!!

[nolamike]

This is just total bullshit IMHO. I know I've read that the NFL athletes are given a list of banned substances, etc. I don't see how this couldv'e happened to not one, not two, but four of our players. Something is just a bit off here.

[Cajn43]

I don't know who to be mad at .....but I am furious..!!!.....This blows what had evolved into a little hope of salvaging the season and maybe making the playoffs....Now we are royally screwed...!!.....I guess I will go with our famous saying....We'll get em next year!! Only hope is that they can file for an appeal....but will that allow them to continue to play..??

[SaintsFanatic]

I can only speculate as to who the other two Saints are.. my guess is Mike Karney and Hollis Thomas. I say this because they both attended the same weight loss clinic (that the Saints suggested the go to!!) in the off-season.

DAMN!

[nolamike]

We'll have to wait and see what the commissioner has to say about this. With his track record, I don't see it going over very well. Pierre Thomas better not be one of the two that remain nameless or we're going to have a hell of a time pulling out a winning season. If Deuce and a few others are suspended, Colston, Moore, Henderson, and Shockey better be on there game. And I don't want to hear any bitchin after the game...got it Shockey?

[nolamike]

Also, all of this mish-mash can be avoided if the NFL were to setup a certification program for clinics to apply for that specifically deals with sports medicine that adheres to the NFL guidelines as far as banned substances are concerned. I believe all major sporting organizations should certify clinics to assure the players they're not rolling the dice every time they take a pill.

Then if anything ever came up..it would be on the player if they went to a non-certified clinic and if they did visit a certified clinic, the clinic should then be held accountable. Problem solved.

[SaintsFanatic]

Watching the NFL Network now to see what they have to say. Nothing yet.

[SaintsFanatic]

Originally Posted by nolamike

Also, all of this mish-mash can be avoided if the NFL were to setup a certification program for clinics to apply for that specifically deals with sports medicine that adheres to the NFL guidelines as far as banned substances are concerned. I believe all major sporting organizations should certify clinics to assure the players they're not rolling the dice every time they take a pill.

Then if anything ever came up..it would be on the player if they went to a non-certified clinic and if they did visit a certified clinic, the clinic should then be held accountable. Problem solved.

Excellent idea!

[SaintsFanatic]

this article expands a little more on the one I previously posted.
from espn.com

A number of NFL players -- including Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints -- have tested positive under the NFL's steroid policy as a result of taking water pills to lose weight, according to a report from Fox 31-Denver reporter Josina Anderson.

Anderson's report cited "a rash of positive tests." The number is more than 10 and may exceed 15, two sources have told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

Attorney David Cornwell told Mortensen he has been retained by "a number of players" to represent them in the NFL appeals process, but Cornwell wouldn't say who those players were or the exact number who have retained his legal services.

"The recent reports about pending appeals by players who are alleged to have used weight loss supplements reflect the most egregious violation of the NFL steroid policy," Cornwell said in a statement. "The foundation of the policy is both a player's right to appeal and an absolute right to confidentiality. By leaking this story, the 'source' is clearly attempting to put their thumb on the scale justice and harm these men."

Smith's listed agent, Joel Segal, was not immediately available to comment, according to Fox 31-Denver. A representative for McAllister's agent, Jim Steiner, said the agent would call that station back.

Under the NFL's steroid policy, a player's first positive test results in a four-game suspension.

McAllister and Smith both practiced Friday morning at the Saints' hotel in Watford, England. They are in London preparing for Sunday's game against San Diego.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel, who was with the team in London, said drug testing is a league matter and the team would have no immediate comment.

National Football League spokesman Michael Signora, who is in London, said the league will not comment on the reports.

According to Anderson's report, McAllister and Smith are part of a group that tested positive for a diuretic known as Bumetanide. Others tested positive for a different substance.

"Most of them tested positive for Bumetanide," said the league source, according to Fox 31-Denver. "The last few tested positive for another substance that works similarly."

A source told Fox 31-Denver that Bumetanide "can also mask the use of other drugs or steroids."

Bumetanide is a drug belonging to a group of medicines called loop diuretics or "water pills." Its uses include the treatment of fluid retention and swelling caused by medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, liver disease and kidney disease, Fox 31-Denver reported.

[SaintsFanatic]

not a peep on NFL Network or NFL.com so far either. Makes me wonder if the NFL was trying to keep a lid on this until after this London game.

[Cajn43]

Nahh...why should the NFL make a clear and solid policy situation that anyone who can read small words could understand...just take a look at the frickin rules....it takes a lawyer to understand just the calls on the field!!...How could their abuse policy be any less confusing that the other rules....!! They are only second the the assholes in government at making something that should be relative simple so damn confusing and hard to understand!!

[SaintsFanatic]

Update: Deuce, Will Smith and Charles Grant may be suspended for positive drug tests.

LONDON -- Saints running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant have tested positive for a drug on the NFL's list of prohibited substances, two NFL sources confirmed Friday.

Those positive tests mean that all three likely will miss four consecutive games each at some point in the near future.

The reports of the positive tests for McAllister and Smith originated early Friday with Fox 31 television in Denver, which quoted "a highly placed NFL source" as saying that McAllister and Smith were among six to 10 NFL players who tested positive. Many of them -- including McAllister and Smith -- tested positive for a weight-loss diuretic and possible steroid-masking agent called Bumetanide, according to the Denver report.

Two days before one of the highest-profile games of the NFL season, between the Saints and San Diego Chargers at Wembley Stadium, McAllister and Smith were the only players specifically named in the Denver report. The source was also quoted as saying that three to four players who tested positive were from the Saints, and The Times-Picayune learned later Friday that Grant also was among those who tested positive.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said that "this is a league matter and we have no comment." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said "we have no comment on the report."

A first positive test under the league's policy on steroids and related substances would draw a four-game suspension, pending an appeal. Aiello said that the length of the appeals process "varies, depending on the specific circumstances of the case, " and added that any suspensions under the drug policy for this weekend's games would have already been announced.

The NFL has not announced any suspensions for McAllister, Smith and Grant, who all practiced with the Saints on Friday outside London and are expected to play Sunday.

Neither McAllister nor his agents, Jim Steiner and Ben Dogra, responded to attempts to reach them for comment. Smith's agent, Joel Segal, also did not respond, nor did Grant's agent, Bill Johnson.

Just this week, left guard Jamar Nesbit returned to practice with the Saints after a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on steroids and related substances.

Nesbit, who is set to play Sunday in his first game back, said when he was suspended that he failed the test because of an unidentified ingredient in an over-the-counter product that was advertised as an all-natural body-cleansing health product. Saints Coach Sean Payton said at the time that he believed the cause of the failed test was a diuretic.

McAllister and Smith reportedly tested positive for Bumetanide, which is a potent diuretic, or "water pill, " that comes in the form of tablets and causes an increase in urine output by preventing the kidneys from retaining fluid, according to Dr. Don H. Catlin, president and CEO of Anti-Doping Research, Inc.

Bumetanide is believed to be the substance that caused Nesbit's failed test, though it is unknown whether Nesbit is included in the figure of six to 10 NFL players cited by the Denver report. Nesbit waived his right to an appeal of his four-game suspension.

Catlin, a professor emeritus at UCLA's medical school and a member of both organizations that oversaw drug testing at the 2008 Olympics, said Bumetanide must be prescribed and is used in conventional medicine for people who have difficulty with water control. In sports, it is popular among boxers and wrestlers as a way to make their fighting weights, according to Catlin.

Bumetanide has been on the NFL's list of banned substances for many years, according to Aiello, and "nothing in the diuretic area" was recently added to the list. The list is determined by the NFL and the NFL Players Association in consultation with medical experts, Aiello said, and diuretics are on the list of banned substances because they can be used as a masking agent for steroid use.

"Part of the reason (Bumetanides) are on the list of banned substances is that they create a lot of water excretion, lots of prewater, lots of urine, and that can lower the concentration of a drug, " Catlin said. "And, of course, we are always trying to find drugs in urine. If you have diluted urine, we are going to have more difficulty finding the drugs."

Catlin added: "That's one of the two reasons why it's on the list. The other reason is to make weight in sports such as boxing and wrestling, where athletes have to come in under a certain weight to stay in their category."

The television report from Denver said that most of the players in the group who tested positive were trying to cut weight, and a few of them had weight issues.

McAllister returned to the Saints this year after two recent knee surgeries, including one for a torn ACL that he suffered early last season.

During the opening days of training camp in Jackson, Miss., McAllister's low weight was noticeable. Saints quarterback Drew Brees joked that "he's down to probably his senior year in college weight, " and McAllister said at the time that "I'm probably about four or five pounds away from where I want to be as far as the season is concerned."

McAllister, 29 and in his eighth year in the NFL, has seen limited playing time this season but his workload was expected to increase Sunday because featured tailback Reggie Bush is out for two to four weeks after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee following last week's loss at Carolina. McAllister has carried the ball 50 times for 208 yards and a touchdown in 2008.

Grant also missed time last season, with an ankle injury, and he joined former Saints defensive tackle Hollis Thomas at a weight-loss clinic at Duke University in the offseason. Thomas was suspended for four games in the 2006 season for testing positive under the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Smith and Grant are the two highest-paid members of the Saints' defense. Smith, 27 and in his fifth year in the league, in June signed a reported seven-year deal worth up to $68 million. Smith has 15 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble this season.

Grant, 30 and in his seventh year, signed a seven-year contract extension in April 2007 that could be worth $63 million. Grant has 25 tackles and three sacks this season.

Grant made headlines in May when he was one of seven men indicted on the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and the misdemeanor charge of affray for his alleged involvement in a fight that led to the shooting death of a pregnant woman outside of a Blakely, Ga., night club in February. That case is pending.

I'm still kind of numb over the fact that this is happening. Very sad for Deuce.

[WilsonTheVolleyball]

Sad for Deuce, indeed. But let's not necessarily pity him, because Bumetanide was on the banned substances list. It's as clear as day for every player in the league -- If you take this substance, you will be punished. No exceptions, and certainly no argument. A guy of Deuce McAllister's character and intelligence should be well aware what is and is not league approved.

As far as Smith and Grant go, their pending loss isn't a major factor, as neither has produced the bang for the Saints buck. Sure, I'd like to have them out there, but they won't be missed when they go.

[SaintsFanatic]

Originally Posted by WilsonTheVolleyball

Sad for Deuce, indeed. But let's not necessarily pity him, because Bumetanide was on the banned substances list. It's as clear as day for every player in the league -- If you take this substance, you will be punished. No exceptions, and certainly no argument. A guy of Deuce McAllister's character and intelligence should be well aware what is and is not league approved.

As far as Smith and Grant go, their pending loss isn't a major factor, as neither has produced the bang for the Saints buck. Sure, I'd like to have them out there, but they won't be missed when they go.

Wilson - love your nick! lol

And you are right of course about Deuce. And I was trying to reserve judgment until he's had a chance to respond, but the more I think about it I really can't see how he would not know that he was taking a banned substance. It could have been any other player on the team and I wouldn't be nearly as upset as I am about it being Deuce. He's been through so much and worked so hard to come back, and now his reputation will forever be tarnished by this. Very sad.

What really gets to me though is this so-called NFL "source" admitting that the NFL doesn't believe that the players were taking it to try to gain any kind of unfair advantage, and they they believe the players were taking it as a weight-loss aid and that there was no intent to do anything wrong by the players.. yet the players will still likely be suspended anyway. To me, this is just plain wrong.

I really think that the NFL needs to seriously re-examine it's steroid policy.