The controversy over Brian Cushing’s positive test for HCG will not end soon after news reports revealed that Texans owner will appeal the case to the NFL. Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans is set to meet top NFL official in the hope that they will reduce the 4-game suspension against Cushing which will start this season. However, a reversal of its previous decision will put the league into another controversy.

In the previous interviews, McNair already defended Cushing saying that he believes his star player did not take anabolic steroids or any performance enhancing drugs. The positive result could be due to an abnormality in Cushing’s system which still needs to be studied. “I had a meeting with the league’s medical staff and presented additional medical information about Brian Cushing. The doctors will review the information and we’ll hear from them at a later date,” said McNair in a press release.

Brian Cushing tested positive for HCG last year but the suspension came late because of an appeal contesting the result. The league gave him 4-game suspension. HCG is not a steroid but it is included in the banned substance under the anti-steroid policy of the league. It is a female fertility drug which is used to increase the production of testosterone after a steroid cycle. Even if Cushing denies his use of this drug a thousand times, suspicions will still be there. There are already some professional players who were also caught using drug and they were also involved in the use of steroids.

Cushing said before that the positive test could be due to a potentially deadly tumor. But right now, he has a different story to tell. The Rookie of the Year believes that his elevated levels of HCG could be the result of natural hormonal changes in his body. “Everything points to that over trained athlete syndrome. 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,” he said.

According to an SI report, the “overtrained athlete syndrome” results when an athlete trained intensely for a long period and suddenly stops training. There is a possibility that it will cause testosterone imbalance. However, it remains a possibility since there are no documented cases similar to Cushing’s case. Most people are not buying this alibi. It is more acceptable for many fans if Cushing would just accept that his positive test was due steroid use.

But McNair believes that his ward is clean of PED’s. “He shows no sign of ever having been on steroids,” said McNair. “His weight hasn’t changed appreciably since he’s been with us. I’ve looked into it pretty thoroughly, and I haven’t found anything that would lead me to believe that he has ever taken a performance-enhancing drug,” he added.

So the question whether Cushing was having an overtrained athlete syndrome still remain as a question. Cushing is optimistic that the issue will be resolve as soon as possible. “There is no question in my mind I’ll be a better football player than I was last season. I’m going into my second year. The plays I’m making on the practice field this year compared to last year, I’m so much more of a well-rounded football player than I was,” Cushing said.

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