Florida quarterback Will Grier has been suspended for the remainder of the season and beyond for testing positive for a banned substance. According to multiple reports, the performance-enhancing drug Grier used is called Ligandrol.
Matt Baker of The Tampa Bay Times said he was told Grier did not test positive for Ligandrol.
Shortly after his suspension was announced, an emotional Grier spoke to reporters and said he tested positive for an over-the-counter substance. If he did, in fact, take Ligandrol, it’s possible he was unaware that Ligandrol is on the banned substance list. However, there is some debate over how easy it is to obtain.
As Chris Fischer of WTSP in Tampa Bay notes, Ligandrol is generally a substance that requires a prescription if purchased at a pharmacy. Many people also purchase it online. A quick Google search will tell you that Ligandrol is billed as a “steroid alternative” that is commonly used by body builders because it has less side effects when compared with steroids or testosterone treatment.
To make matters more interesting, Chuck Kingsbury of The Atlanta Journal Constitution noted back in August that Grier has bulked up to 215 pounds after coming in at 172 as a freshman. That’s a 43-pound gain in a short time.
With his new size, Grier will likely have a good shot at dethroning sophomore quarterback Treon Harris for the starting gig. Last year, Harris threw for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns while Grier was redshirted.
Maybe he brought peanut butter sandwiches to the game. Whatever the case may be, his father, Chad, is just happy he’s been stuffing his face like a bodybuilder.
Grier did end up dethroning Harris, and he has led the Gators to a 6-0 record and shocked the country by turning them into a national championship contender. Florida’s training staff says the quarterback actually only gained 20 pounds in a span longer than a year.
The NCAA has not officially announced what Grier tested positive for, and there are certainly natural ways of gaining weight. But if it was Ligandrol, people aren’t going to believe what Grier said right after the news broke.
UPDATE: While ESPN was one of the first media outlets to report that Grier took Ligandrol, their own Brett McMurphy later said that is not accurate.
Some reports indicate Will Grier’s banned substance was ligandrol. That is not accurate, a source told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) October 12, 2015
H/T The Big Lead
