Has Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing been using steroids since high school? Of course not. He insists he hasn’t, so we have to believe him, right? At first I was skeptical, but now we’ve got a medical diagnosis that supports Cushing’s denial. The former USC star trains so hard for such an extended period of time that he’s become a product of “overtrained athlete suyndrome,” which supposedly spikes an athlete’s hCG levels and causes a testosterone imbalance. Cushing tested positive for increased levels of hCG back in May, resulting in a four-game suspension:
Everything points to that overtrained athlete syndrome,” Cushing said, walking back to the Texans’ locker room after their afternoon practice. “I’m pretty sure it is. I’m pretty positive. I didn’t take anything. It’s not a tainted supplement. So all roads lead to that.”
Does it get any more lame than this? I don’t think anyone has to go further than reading the name of the syndrome before wanting to laugh. I bet members of the AP will buy this excuse, but I certainly don’t. It’s funny how we’ve never heard of such a thing with any other player who’s tested positive for a steroid-related substance.
First, Cushing supposedly feared he had a tumor that was resulting in elevated levels of hCG in his body. It was a valiant attempt at playing the sympathy card, but naturally it turned out to not be the case. Now, we have “overtrained athlete syndrome.” If nothing else, Cushing’s camp certainly gets an “A” in the creativity category. I don’t think we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing such obscure excuses. For now, I recommend everyone stay tuned and enjoy the ride. You never know what we might hear next, but it will probably be hilarious.
Sources:
“Overtrained athlete syndrome” will be blamed for Cushing’s suspension [ProFootballTalk]
Excitement is building in St. Louis; Texans are fighting for Cushing [SI.com]
