Robert Mathis out 4 games PED's

[DTLB58]

@AdamSchefter: NFL suspended Colts' pass rusher Robert Mathis four games for violating policy on performance enhancing substances.

Cost him a little over $700,000

Update:@NFL_ATL: Mathis: Fertility drug caused failed test http://t.co/xtN51e8Nm7

[B_Ambuehl]

What he says is likely partially true, but it also outs him as a steroid user. He probably did need fertility treatments to conceive, but that would only occur if he'd been on anabolic steroids during the season. Clomid is used to restart testicular function in men. It signals the testes to produce testosterone. No way someone like a robert mathis would have naturally low testicular function (testosterone), it would only be low if he was taking something that made it low (anabolics or exogenous testosterone). So he may be truthful about the clomid, but the fact he was prescribed clomid in the first place also logically proves he was cheating.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by B_Ambuehl

What he says is likely partially true, but it also outs him as a steroid user. He probably did need fertility treatments to conceive, but that would only occur if he'd been on anabolic steroids during the season. Clomid is used to restart testicular function in men. It signals the testes to produce testosterone. No way someone like a robert mathis would have naturally low testicular function (testosterone), it would only be low if he was taking something that made it low (anabolics or exogenous testosterone). So he may be truthful about the clomid, but the fact he was prescribed clomid in the first place also logically proves he was cheating.

Are you positive?

I'm going to need Planetdc to chime in. I trust him.

[B_Ambuehl]

Yes i'm positive:

http://shiramillermd.com/blog/clomid...ternative.html

The real question is why would a Robert Mathis have testosterone levels so low that he couldn't conceive?

A ~260 lb pro bowl caliber NFL football player with natural testosterone so low he can't conceive....yeah right.

[jonzie04]

Pretty sad to hear. Been a fan of Mathis for quite some time. Not a whole lot of regular sized pass rushers for young men to look up to.

[DTLB58]

NFL responds. Wow.

Posted by Mike Florio on May 17, 2014, 12:57 AM EDT

AP
Typically, the NFL says nothing about the suspension of a player for violating the policy regarding performance-enhancing substances. As a practical matter, this allows the player and/or his agent to offer up to the public a dog-ate-my-homework-style excuse that would then be unchallenged by the NFL.

In the case of Colts defensive end Robert Mathis, the NFL has departed from its usual policy, responding to the statement issued by agent Hadley Englehard.

Englehard called the suspension “unjust and unfair,” explaining that Mathis was taking a fertility drug in order to have another child. The drug is on the list of banned substances.

“As Mr. Mathis’s agent acknowledged today, his client failed to follow the protocols in the policy that the NFL and NFLPA agreed upon to address precisely these kinds of claims,” the league said. “That policy also prescribes the disciplinary consequences of a positive test. The policy does not provide — nor should it provide — for the Commissioner to override the policy’s procedures and assess discipline on an after-the-fact, ad hoc basis. Here Mr. Mathis actually withdrew his appeal and accepted discipline at the union’s suggestion. His hearing took place only after the Players Association requested that the appeal be reinstated.

“The drug for which Mr. Mathis tested positive is not approved by the FDA for fertility in males and is a performance-enhancing drug that has been prohibited for years. Importantly, Mr. Mathis did not consult with the policy’s Independent Administrator, a physician jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association. Nor did he consult with his team doctor, the team’s training staff, the NFLPA, the league office or the hotline established under the policy to give confidential information to players. Each of these sources would have warned against using this substance.

“A cornerstone of the program is that a player is responsible for what is in his body. Consistent application of the policy’s procedures is critical to the integrity of the program.”

With players and/or their agents consistently attempting to win the P.R. battle that necessarily accompanies a suspension for using performance-enhancing substances, it’s good to that the league finally is willing to set the record straight (even if doing so potentially runs afoul of the spirit of the confidentiality provision). Without that clarification, any player (and, as it seems, every player) can offer up a self-serving explanation that creates the impression the player didn’t actually break the rules.

Even if, you know, he did.

[milkman]

I just can't bring myself to care about PEDs.

More power to 'em.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by DTLB58

“The drug for which Mr. Mathis tested positive is not approved by the FDA for fertility in males and is a performance-enhancing drug that has been prohibited for years. Importantly, Mr. Mathis did not consult with the policy’s Independent Administrator, a physician jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association. Nor did he consult with his team doctor, the team’s training staff, the NFLPA, the league office or the hotline established under the policy to give confidential information to players. Each of these sources would have warned against using this substance."

Good day sir!

[DTLB58]

@Edwerderespn: Interesting the #NFL negotiated drug suspension for Von Miller but not for Robert Mathis despite his unique explanation for PED violation

[KCJake]

Originally Posted by B_Ambuehl

What he says is likely partially true, but it also outs him as a steroid user. He probably did need fertility treatments to conceive, but that would only occur if he'd been on anabolic steroids during the season. Clomid is used to restart testicular function in men. It signals the testes to produce testosterone. No way someone like a robert mathis would have naturally low testicular function (testosterone), it would only be low if he was taking something that made it low (anabolics or exogenous testosterone). So he may be truthful about the clomid, but the fact he was prescribed clomid in the first place also logically proves he was cheating.

Spot on.

[planetdoc]

Originally Posted by B_Ambuehl

What he says is likely partially true, but it also outs him as a steroid user. He probably did need fertility treatments to conceive, but that would only occur if he'd been on anabolic steroids during the season....the fact he was prescribed clomid in the first place also logically proves he was cheating.

You speak in 100% definitives, and that is not accurate when dealing with most things in the human body...including in this case. The human body is not a machine without variance.

Lets start from the chief concern. Someone who has difficulty conceiving may be found to have low sperm count. Low sperm count can have many causes, one of which can be hormonal. There are a number of non-PED, non-illegal drugs, supplements, and medical conditions that can affect hormone levels.

I dont know Mathis situation. His sperm count could have been low (or borderline), and sitting in a sauna and hot tub between games wouldnt help the situation. Sometimes physicians even prescribe a short term low dose pill for the placebo affect.

TL;DR clomid can be used to tx side-effects from anabolic steroid use, but one can't say with 100% certainty that was the case for Mathis with the information that so far has been provided.

[ping2000]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

You speak in 100% definitives, and that is not accurate when dealing with most things in the human body...including in this case. The human body is not a machine without variance.

Lets start from the chief concern. Someone who has difficulty conceiving may be found to have low sperm count. Low sperm count can have many causes, one of which can be hormonal. There are a number of non-PED, non-illegal drugs, supplements, and medical conditions that can affect hormone levels.

I dont know Mathis situation. His sperm count could have been low (or borderline), and sitting in a sauna and hot tub between games wouldnt help the situation. Sometimes physicians even prescribe a short term low dose pill for the placebo affect.

TL;DR clomid can be used to tx side-effects from anabolic steroid use, but one can't say with 100% certainty that was the case for Mathis with the information that so far has been provided.

Good grief. The ****er cheated.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

You can make all the excuses you want. He knew the rules and broke em. It is bullshit they lowered Von Merriman ' s suspension though.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by milkman

I just can't bring myself to care about PEDs.

More power to 'em.

I'm the exact opposite.

[Mr. Laz]

Dallas
Denver
Colts

**** these 3

anything bad happening to them is a reason to celebrate

[B_Ambuehl]

Someone who has difficulty conceiving may be found to have low sperm count. Low sperm count can have many causes, one of which can be hormonal. There are a number of non-PED, non-illegal drugs, supplements, and medical conditions that can affect hormone levels.

Yeah thats true but the fact he was prescribed clomid indicates he had low sperm count due to hormonal reasons (low testosterone), since that is what clomid is used for in the world of male fertility.

I dont know Mathis situation. His sperm count could have been low (or borderline), and sitting in a sauna and hot tub between games wouldnt help the situation. Sometimes physicians even prescribe a short term low dose pill for the placebo affect. TL;DR clomid can be used to tx side-effects from anabolic steroid use, but one can't say with 100% certainty that was the case for Mathis with the information that so far has been provided.

You're right, we can't be 100% sure, but given that Robert Mathis is who he is (a physical freak amongst physical freaks of which testosterone is a primary driver of physical ability), I'd say logic would lean wayyyyy more towards his sperm count being compromised due to supplemental aid. It's just hard to believe a man would get 19 sacks in the national football league and have a natural testosterone level/sperm count so low he couldn't conceive.