Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s steroid policy. He plays for the Eagles for four years and is also vital in the defense of the team. Hanson’s case could stir another controversy for the NFL since he was suspended not for anabolic steroids but for a diuretic which is also banned in the league. Diuretic is included in the list of prohibited substances in most pro sports because of its ability to mask the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. The issue on diuretics is still being contested in court by the Vikings Williamses. The league issued a four-game suspension on these players when they were tested positive for Bumetanide, a diuretic found on supplement Starcaps.

Hanson made his appeal to the league but the suspension was handed down Friday. His lawyer argued that it is unfair to suspend Hanson while the league lifted the suspension of 5 players in the Starcaps case. Richard Cornwell, lawyer of Henson said in a statement that the league previously agreed to hold off the punishment on Hanson while the Starcaps case is still unsettled. They are also waiting for the league and the players union’s proposal for substantial reductions in the discipline to be imposed for the first positive test for diuretics. “Under the current competing proposals, no player would be suspended for four (4) games for the first positive test for diuretics,” Cornwell added. Hanson told Geoff Mosher of the DelawareOnline that the NFL don’t treat players the same.

It may be a big question for many people why Hanson took a diuretic which he knows could lead to suspension. But Hanson vehemently denied that he intentionally ingested it to enhance his performance. His lawyer said that his client did not use steroids or any other substance that would enhance his performance but rather it was caused by a pill which he took after feeling bloated from a Chinese meal.

Philadelphia sports columnist Phil Sheridan wrote in his column how NFL players use ridiculous excuses when caught violating the league’s policy. “The problem with Hanson’s Chinese Food Defense is that it follows in the long tradition of absolutely ridiculous excuses offered by cheaters. Ben Johnson said someone spiked his ginseng energy drink. Floyd Landis blamed Jack Daniel’s. Tyler Hamilton came up with an involved story involving a stillborn twin. German runner Dieter Baumann claimed someone dosed his toothpaste,” he said. Sheridan added that it doesn’t matter anymore whether Hanson is telling the truth or not. It is clear that Hanson made a mistake and he must take whatever consequences the league will impose on him. While Hanson accepts his responsibilities as an NFL player, he still suspects that he is a casualty of the looming labor war in the NFL according to his lawyer. “We are hoping that he is the last,” Cornwell added.

Joselio Hanson made 29 tackles and 1 interception this year. His suspension will definitely affect the Eagles since another cornerback, Ellis Hobbs, was placed on injured list because of neck injury.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS