New Brian Cushing steroid controversy: Site claim positive test at NFL combine
Brian, Cushing the USC monster linebacker who will be eligible in the upcoming NFL draft, needed Pete Carroll, his USC college coach to defend him this weekend. Carroll -- who has a reputation for closely monitoring things like Reggie Bush's cool house -- defended Cushing and his other monster linebacker Clay Matthews after a report of positive tests were reported on one unverified web site.
The NFL rumor mill is at full tilt this time of year.
So much so that USC Coach Pete Carroll apparently thought it necessary to quell the attention sparked by a blurb that linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews tested positive for steroids at the NFL scouting combine in February.
A one-sentence report from NFLDraftBible.com, which is not affiliated with the league, started the buzz. The agency representing Matthews apparently responded to the report.
Here's what Carroll had to say in a statement released on USC's website.
"These rumors are absolutely false," Carroll said. "If they were found positive, Clay and Cush would have been notified three weeks ago, which they weren't and all of the NFL teams would have been notified too, which they weren't."
Carroll said he spoke with the NFL testing service and verified that both players tested clean.
"They're both men of outstanding character and they never tested positive for anything here," Carroll said. "This is an [sic] major example of irresponsible reporting, and the site that published this report should be ashamed of themselves."
A (sic) interesting comment from an (sic) Carroll. Who knows how often athletes are dope tested in the NCAA? It could be another Tony Mandarich case where steroid use is denied until the player needs a book deal.
Cushing addressed this issue:
"I don’t understand where it is coming from," Cushing told me. "I was tested last December at USC and passed, one of several tests I have passed. I was tested this morning here at the combine and those results should be out in a couple of weeks to a month, I believe. I think people are trying to find something, anything, that would detract from what I have done on the field. You learn in life if it’s not one thing, it’s the other. I hope once I pass the test here that this will be put behind me. I’m really hoping for that."
