Brian Cushing tested positive because he works out too much

A. Isaac Senior Editor

brian cushing lifting weights 160x214 Brian Cushing tested positive because he works out too much Floyd Landis once blamed a positive test at the Tour de France on drinking the night before. Roger Clemens says he only used Vitamin B12 shots. And now Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans says he just plain worked out too hard.

As testing in sports gets more stringent, the lies seem to get more complex.

The Houston Texans asked the NFL to reduce or rescind the four-game suspension given to star linebacker Brian Cushing on Monday, saying he has a unique medical condition stemming from something called overtrained athlete syndrome.
Cushing described the condition after Monday morning’s practice. He said the syndrome can trigger hormonal spikes after breaks in training, explaining why he would have tested positive for a fertility drug last September – a drug he said he never took.

If Cushing can indeed provide medical proof of such a condition, the NFL will have no choice but to dismiss the suspension. But at the same time, they open themselves to the proverbial Pandora’s box from players in the past who have said with 100% certainty that they never took steroids.

And if anything, MLB, NHL and the NBA will be looking at the NFL closely to see what they decide. Lots of pressure on Mr. Goodell to set a precedent here.

Cushing blames positive test on overtraining [AP]

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