NFL Hopes Suspensions End With Harrison, Wilson
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After the league announced its second suspension in two days for use of a performance-enhancing substance, NFL Players Association chief Gene Upshaw said that he and other leaders were hopeful there would be no further fallout from an investigation by the Albany, N.Y., district attorney’s office into a drug distribution ring. “You don’t know for sure, but I’m hoping this is the end of it,” Upshaw said yesterday, adding that he hadn’t been made aware of any other NFL players or coaches being investigated because of the probe. Wade Wilson, a former NFL quarterback who is now the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach, was suspended for the first five games of the season and fined $100,000 for purchasing and using performance-enhancing substances, reportedly including human growth hormone, while he was the quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears between 2004 and 2006. Wilson said in a written statement that he did not distribute performance-enhancing substances to others. Wilson said his actions “were the result of trying to improve the quality of my life based upon my 20-plus years of living with diabetes,” and he had “very limited exposure to a substance” that he discarded after finding that it failed to improve his quality of life. Owner Jerry Jones said in a written statement that he supported NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision regarding Wilson but would welcome back Wilson after the suspension ends. Wilson’s suspension came a day after Goodell suspended New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison for the first four games of the season for using a banned substance, said by sources familiar with the case to be human growth hormone. Harrison said in a conference call with reporters Friday night that he’d acknowledged to Goodell using a banned substance. Upshaw and other league officials said the league became aware of the involvement of Wilson and Harrison with performance-enhancing drugs through the Albany district attorney’s office’s investigation of a drug distribution ring in which professional athletes from several sports are alleged to have been involved. State and federal law enforcement officials from New York and Florida raided two Florida pharmacies in February as part of the nationwide investigation. A league source said that NFL officials were given specific information on which they could act in the Harrison and Wilson cases within the past 10 days. Upshaw said he was told the names of those in the league involved within the past week or so. “We’re not closing our eyes to any of this,” Upshaw said in a telephone interview. “You hope this is the end of it. There’s no test for HGH. If and when there is a test, we’ll add that.” Growth hormone is on the NFL’s list of banned substances but players are not tested for it. There is no urine test that league officials consider reliable, and the union opposes blood-testing. The league and union are funding research aimed at developing a urine test for HGH the two parties deem reliable. “When we talk to the experts, there’s no proof that HGH works effectively alone as a performance enhancer,” Upshaw said. Wide receiver Clarence Moore and guard Brian Rimpf, two late-round draft picks in 2004, were among the 20 players released in order to get down to the 53-player limit. But Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith survived, leaving three quarterbacks on the roster. Running back Cory Ross and cornerback Evan Oglesby also were cut. Rookie Edgar Jones, who went undrafted out of Southeast Missouri State, and Dennis Haley (Virginia) earned spots in Baltimore’s deep group of linebackers. More : washingtonpost.com |