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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Cushing's positive drug test could affect Steelers

The drug suspension of Houston's Brian Cushing could have an effect on the Steelers moving forward.

The AP has announced it will revote not only on the 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but also the All-Pro team as well.

Cushing finished with enough votes to make the second team as an All-Pro, but his five votes were one more than Pittsburgh's LaMarr Woodley and two more than James Harrison and Chicago's Lance Briggs.

It likely won't affect Woodley, who got four votes compared to five for Cushing.

But let's supposed that all five of Cushing's votes go to Harrison and Briggs. They would move past Woodley on the All-Pro list and be the two second-team members.

The Steelers wouldn't ask for Woodley's All-Pro bonus money back - I'm assuming he had something in his contract about that - but they would also owe Harrison and All-Pro bonus as well.

It's all minor stuff, but it's the kind of things we're left talking about at this point in the offseason.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

dale,
how come there isn't an uproar from the media about PED's in the NFL like there is in MLB? this is the 3rd AP Rookie of the Year since 2002 to fail a drug test for PED's.

also, i thought if you are suspended 4 games that means you have already tested positive once. therefore, this must be the second time he has tested positive. am i wrong?

Anonymous said...

by the way, anyone that re-votes for cushing is an absolute idiot.

Anonymous said...

I guess you better tell that to Ed Bouchette, he said in his chat today he didn't agree with the re-vote and voted again for Cushing.

Anonymous said...

Ed Bouchette IS an idiot!

Anonymous said...

i'd love to hear his reasoning.

Dale Lolley said...

Ed's reasoning was that once you vote on something, you don't re-vote.
I understand his reasoning. It's why I felt the AP should just strip Cushing of the award if it felt he cheated and give it to the player who received the second-highest vote total.

Anonymous said...

the AP did the re-vote because writers voted without having all the information. if they knew he tested positive when they voted, how many would still had voted for him?

however, anyone with bouchette's reasoning completely ruined the re-vote.

and, the AP didn't just strip cushing of the award because the AP does not decide who wins and who doesn't. the writers do.

i just find this utterly mind blowing. good job cushing. take the drugs, you might get caught, but it won't be a big deal. if they catch you masking the 'roids, move up to HGH and you'll be fine. by the time they catch you with that you will have made millions of dollars, been to the pro bowl a few times and maybe won a championship.

so keep doing the drugs, there's no real consequences.

what a joke.

Dale Lolley said...

Trouble is, I don't doubt that if the players had voted on the award, they may have made the same choice.

Anonymous said...

and we see how well the players choose for he pro bowl.

the coaches should select the all-star teams.