Merriman made the right decision

By Robert Rousseau  |   Thursday, November 02, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

 San Diego Chargers
There are at least two reasons why Shawne Merriman's decision to forego his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy (steroids) was the right move. And here they are. First, Merriman may be telling the truth; he may have actually taken the steroids that showed up in his system unknowingly. He and his attorney have...
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CommentsComments: 4
 No.1
Once again		 02:56 PM
11/02/2006
Same old story, I didn't know the supplements had that in them. RIIIIGHT ! They should put a asterk next too his sack stats. That whole SD defence should be checked. After all the things off the field.
 No.2
tele1		 06:42 PM
11/02/2006
Remember that Superbowl Carolina Panthers team and the steroid "thing" that occurred following their Superbowl loss to New England. Remember that? Shamefully, I had forgotten, and that's what got me mad.............more on that later

Back to Merriman. Doesn't EVERY single Drug Cheat use the "blame the supplement" routine? C'mon, OF COURSE he knew he took steroids. The real question here and what most American sports journalists & especially the NFL fail miserably to understand - Is one very simple question. And that is why?

How irresponsible Football365 - you've missed the whole damn point! The only thing this article has correct is the headline - "Merriman made the right decision."

Merriman's decision, WHY he took steroids?

WHY? Because Merriman knew that if he got caught - he only misses 4 games.

WHAT! Only 4?

Sorry - but I don't know where else to voice this. How irresponsible of the NFL - to simply brush this mess under the carpet. And how disappointing that most American sports journalists including Football365 all fail to give a damn.

Seriously, in a world that is anti-drugs in sport, most organizations' give much more severe 2 YEAR suspensions...eg do you remember this years Tour de France winner (cheat!), the Balco fiasco - Tim Mongomery's 100M World Record (cheat!), Ben Johnson - Olympic Gold + 100M WR (cheat!), Barry Bonds mockery of genuine HR hitters like Ruth & Co and the list goes on and on.

Steroid use IS performance enhancing...aka...CHEATING! In a league that promotes parity between teams, how can the NFL ALLOW individuals to gain a competitive edge by, well, cheating! Why do American sports journalists NOT comment on this??

How will we ever know how many games (and opponents W-L records & possible playoff appearances may have been effected) by the steroid fuelled play of Shawne Merriman. Please don't tell me that a Pro Bowl defender cannot affect the outcomes of games. How many crucial drives or 3rd down conversions have been stopped by Shawne Merriman's involvement? How many critical QB hurries, sacks, passes deflected, tackles made etc has Shawne Merriman been able to MAKE due to his extra muscle mass, and how then those games would have finished without the aid of Merriman's steroid use. WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

My point: The NFL needs to "get with the times" - there is NO WAY that a paltry 4 game suspension will ever deter this outrageous behavior. Will the NFL's soft stance on performance enhancing drug use STOP the next cheat? With a 4 game suspension - what sort of message does the NFL now send to the next generation of players? Will a soft stance on drug cheating help deter the eventual use of steroids in high school football?

So, WERE the Chargers REALLY the best team NOT to make the playoffs last year? Thank goodness for the Football Gods then, cause the NFL sure aint gunna help!!!! Imagine if the Chargers had WON the Superbowl & Merriman had a game turning QB sack....and then we find out he's a steroid user.......don't think it can't happen on the biggest stage!

It already has, remember that Superbowl Carolina Panthers team and the steroid "thing" that occurred following their Superbowl loss to New England. Remember that? The whole thing was swept so quickly away that shamefully, I had forgotten all about it - and that's what got me mad!

Had the NFL taken a much stronger stand and banned Carolina players for 2 years, would Shawne Merriman still have taken the same risk to use steroids? Maybe, maybe not......at least we have a "maybe not".......Right now, a small 4 game suspension will not turn any future drug cheat's mind from a "Maybe" to a "maybe not". Right now, that's wrong!

Shame on you Shawne Merriman, shame on you NFL and shame on you Football365!
 No.3
Jimmy		 07:36 PM
11/02/2006
He took steroids knowingly. That being said, this article is correct in that it was best he dropped the appeal. Appeals are a waste of time, belittle the NFL's drug policy, and in this case might've hurt Merriman's team.
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