Brian Cushing Suspension

It'll never happen to me. That's what we always tell ourselves, about everything. My car will never be stolen, that tornado will never hit us, my team will never be the one that has a cheater. But it appears the unthinkable has happened. Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans will be suspended the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.


While we never think it'll happen to us, let's not act surprised that Cushing was found with this. Rumors about possible PED use have swirled around him since his high-school days, and continued all the way to the NFL draft.


"I've passed every drug test out there and still have," Cushing said during his 2009 draft news conference. "I'm not that kind of guy."


Cushing appealed the decision in February, but found out that his appeal had been denied. He admitted in a statement that he had tested positive for a non-steroidal banned substance.


"I believe we presented compelling evidence during the appeal process to challenge the test results, and I disagree with and am disappointed by the suspension," Cushing said in the statement. "Bound by the decision of the league, I regret the situation it presents to the Texans' organization, my teammates, and our fans. My dedication to a championship season in 2010 continues undeterred."


Personally, I'd like to see what other information comes out, if any, such as exactly what he was found to be taking. A "non-steroidal banned substance" could be anything, from HGH to the wrong diuretic pills. I'm not saying that whatever Cushing did wasn't wrong, but that I would be keen to see to what extent this played out.


While it may not come as too much of a surprise that Cushing the individual did this, it does given his role within the Texans organization. Cushing, 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year, has become one of the faces of a model franchise, at least as far as player and team conduct goes. Bob McNair expects the highest out of everybody associated with the Texans, and for this to happen to one of his premier player is very disappointing.


An interesting parallel is with the 2005 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Shawne Merriman. Merriman also made the Pro Bowl in his rookie campaign, only to be suspended the first four games of the next season for violating the league's steroid policy. He came back well the next year, finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, but in subsequent years has had problems with injuries and Tila Tequila. I would be interested to see if the substances taken by Cushing were taken in response to the myriad of injuries he faced last year. If they were, I hope that Cushing doesn't end up the same as Merriman. I doubt that it will, given that Merriman's injuries were connected with ligament damage in his knee, whereas Cushing's were random smaller injuries all over his body. And I don't think that Tila Tequila is Cushing's type.


I've seen outcries on comment pages across the Web that Cushing should lose his Rookie of the Year award, and that it should be awarded to the second place finisher. That would be Jairus Byrd of the Buffalo Bills, but I'd hold off on making decisions like that. For starters, there's no precedent to do such a thing. Merriman did (ostensibly) the same thing, and he still holds his title. League policy states that no player's suspension proceedings are supposed to be announced before the suspension takes place. So it will be a while before facts start coming out, if they do at all. It was revealed that Merriman only failed one test out of twenty. I'd like to see the same from Cushing, and whether his failed test came during or after the season.


From a football standpoint, Cushing will obviously be missed. He recorded 133 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles last season, and the Texans will face the likes of Indianapolis, Washington, Dallas and Oakland during his suspension. However, there are very capable people in line behind him. The likely replacement for Cushing will be either Kevin Bentley or Xavier Adibi, although if this year's fourth-round pick Darryl Sharpton impresses he may be able to squeeze out some playing time aside from special teams. While Gary Kubiak and Frank Bush would much rather have a Pro-Bowler on the field to face Manning, McNabb and Romo, Cushing probably would not make the difference in a close game. It will take a lot from everybody on both sides of the ball to come out on top during that grueling start to a grueling schedule.