The NFL's Kings of PED and Substance Abuse Violations

Performance enhancing drugs have always been a part of professional sports. Since the beginning players have always been looking for ways to get an edge on the competition. Greenies, steroids, human growth hormones and even deer antler spray have been used to give players a physical advantage on the field. Most of the time players knowingly take these PED’s outside of the rules of their respective sport; but in some cases they make an uninformed and honest mistake such as not getting approval from the league for prescribed drugs (such as Adderall which can be a stimulant) and still receive punishment. At the end of the day the players are the ones accountable for what goes into their bodies and are responsible to know the guidelines set by their leagues.

In recent years the NFL has cracked down on PED’s/substance abuse and the suspensions have skyrocketed. Since 2010 there have been 83 PED/substance abuse related suspensions with a handful of cases still pending (notably Josh Gordon and Aldon Smith). These numbers are staggering considering that there were only 80 suspensions from 1989 through 2009.

As many NFL fans know accomplishments of successful teams like to be downplayed and some like to attribute outside influences as to why certain franchises are successful. The Patriots dynasty of the early-mid 2000’s has the Spygate stigma, the Steelers Super Bowl XL win is marred by the officiating, the Saints had Bountygate and many are still baffled how the Giants have won two of the last seven Super Bowls. Now it is the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks turn to be scrutinized.

Over the last few seasons the Seahawks have been the face for the abusers of the NFL’s PED policy. Since 2010 when Head Coach Pete Carroll took over there have been six Seahawks suspended for PED violations and three for substance abuse infractions. These violations have been a black eye for the franchise and most of the criticism they have received is deserved. The Seahawks earned nicknames such as the SeADDERALL Seahawks, PEDhawks, CHEAThawks and Pete Carroll has been referred to as Cheat Carroll. As creative and relevant as these jokes once were, it appears that the Seahawks have cleaned up their problems and out of the last 42 PED suspensions in the NFL, none of them have been a Seahawk. Bruce Irvin was the last to be suspended for PED’s prior to the start of the 2013 training camp (Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner were suspended more recently than Irvin for marijuana not PED’s). Irvin the only player left on the roster who has faced a PED/substance abuse suspension as a Seahawk.

The Seahawks certainly earned their PED related criticism but the references are becoming more dated and irrelevant as time passes. Their Super Bowl win was not pharmaceutically powered run that would make A-Rod blush; it was nothing more than the Seahawks being the best and one of the most dominant teams in recent memory.

Most have overlooked the fact that there is another team in the NFL that has more violations than Seattle and several other teams are in the same ballpark. It is possible that the controversy over their name has taken the attention away from the Washington Redskins PED/substance abuse violations. Since 2011 (one year less than the time frame used for the Seahawks) it has been the Redskins who have led the way in suspensions with 11. Perhaps the Redskins name issue can be solved once and for all, the PEDskins or DRUGskins has a nice ring to it.

It isn’t necessarily fair to accuse any organization of allowing or promoting this behavior. During the offseason rosters expand to 90 players with many more coming and going. It is impossible for coaches, general managers and owners to control what that many competitive young men in their twenties and early thirties put in their bodies at all times. There is just the misconception still out there that this problem is exclusive to the Super Bowl Champions when in fact they are not even the guiltiest team. This is a league issue for all 32 franchises. Out of the 83 NFL players suspended since 2010 only eight received less than the two game suspension Ray Rice will receive for assaulting his fiancé. That is a whole other problem in itself for the league.

Seattle Seahawks Suspensions Since 2010

Performance Enhancing Drugs

LenDale White (2010)

John Moffit (2011)

Alan Barbre (2012)

Winston Guy (2012)

Brandon Browner (2012)

Bruce Irvin (2013)

Substance Abuse

Leroy Hill (2010)

Brandon Browner (2013)

Walter Thurmond (2013)

*Only three of these players were on the Seahawks Super Bowl winning team in 2013. Brandon Browner didn’t play after Week 7 due to injury and eventual suspension. He was replaced and outperformed by Byron Maxwell. Bruce Irvin missed the first four games of the season and played through the Super Bowl. Walter Thurmond was the team’s 3^rd/4^th CB throughout the season and was suspended four games. Only Irvin remains on the roster. Browner (Patriots) and Thurmond (Giants) left Seattle via free agency after the 2013 season.

Washington Redskins Suspensions Since 2011 *the time frame used for the Seahawks was 2010.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

Phillip Buchanon (2011)

Cedric Griffin (2012)

Jordan Black (2012)

Jarvis Jenkins (2013)

Substance Abuse

Fred Davis (2011)

Trent Williams (2011)

Tanard Jackson (2012)

Rob Jackson (2013)

Tanard Jackson (2014)

Fred Davis (2014)

Brandon Moore (2014)

Other Notable Teams with PED/Substance Abuse Policy Suspensions Since 2010.

Colts-6 *including owner

Giants- 5

Rams-5

Ravens- 4

Vikings- 4