Tag: drug test

CeeDee Lamb selected for drug test after monster performance in Cowboys win

From @ToddBrock24f7: After a night that saw him break franchise records and set new career highs, the WR was ordered by the league to submit to a drug test.

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb had a monster performance in Week 17, establishing two new franchise records and logging career-best numbers in multiple categories in a 20-19 Dallas win.

The NFL apparently wondered if there was more to it than Lamb’s natural talent.

Lamb took to social media late Saturday night to share a notice he received from the league immediately after the game, ordering the 24-year-old to submit to a supposedly-random test for performance-enhancing substances.

Lamb recorded 13 receptions for 227 yards, both new single-game highs for the fourth-year man out of Oklahoma. His 17 targets tied his single-outing best, a mark he set just a month prior in a win over Seattle.

And he did it while setting new Cowboys franchise records for most receptions (122) and most receiving yards (1,651) in a season. He outdid three-time Super Bowl champ and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin in both categories. Irvin, who set those marks during his 1995 campaign, was on hand at AT&T Stadium to help celebrate former coach Jimmy Johnson’s induction into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.

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Numerous single-season records have fallen around the league since the regular season was expanded to 17 games in 2021, giving players one extra opportunity to compile stats. What makes Lamb’s record-setting season all the more impressive, though, is that he surpassed Irvin in 16 games, the same number of outings the Playmaker had in ’95.

“I told you I’d enjoy it more if we won,” Lamb told reporters after the game went final. “That we did.”

And Lamb no doubt went on to enjoy the thrilling record-setting win as promised. Even if it also meant producing a urine sample.

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Jonathan Taylor received drug test following breakout game

The league noticed Jonathan Taylor in vintage form.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor finally put together a breakout game in the Week 7 loss against the Cleveland Browns, and the league certainly took notice.

In his third game of the season after missing the first month due to an ankle injury, Taylor took 18 carries for 75 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding three receptions for 45 receiving yards.

It was a pretty vintage game for Taylor against arguably the best defense in the NFL.

Apparently, the league felt this would be the best time to send a drug test his way.

This is hardly the first time the league has done this following a player’s big game. Even Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was the subject of a drug test following his stellar outing in Week 1.

With Anthony Richardson out for the season, the Colts will need to lean on Taylor more over the course of the second half of the campaign.

Hopefully, it leads to more performances like the one he put on the field in Week 7 even if it means getting a call from the league office.

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Michael Thomas deadlifts 530 pounds, says he’s been hit with random NFL drug screening

Michael Thomas deadlifted 530 pounds while recovering from toe surgery, later saying he was selected for random NFL banned-substance screening:

Michael Thomas hasn’t yet been cleared after November toe surgery (for what it’s worth, he has a deadline to pass a team physical coming up on April 21) but he’s hard at work training for the upcoming season. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver shared a video on social media of his work in the weight room, deadlifting an impressive 530 pounds with surprising ease.

But no one was more surprised than Thomas from what came next. He shared a message from an NFL representative asking to arrange a meeting for sample collection as part of the NFL’s performance enhancing substances testing policy. These are random tests, but the timing couldn’t be more suspect. Hopefully Thomas clears it and returns to work while preparing for a pivotal 2023 season.

Thomas has missed a lot of time recovering from ankle and toe injuries over the last three years, but he played a big part in recruiting free agent quarterback Derek Carr this offseason and hopes to reestablish himself as one of the league’s best receivers now that he has a proven passer to work with. We’ll see how it all shakes out over the summer.

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Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson reveals he had to take random drug test

#Chiefs rookie CB Jaylen Watson revealed he got a random NFL drug test after his AFC divisional-round performance.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie CB Jaylen Watson put up a standout performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC divisional round and now he’s getting rewarded for his performance by the NFL.

Against the Jaguars, Watson allowed just two receptions on four targets, he had four combined tackles and an acrobatic one-handed interception to help seal the game. It was the most memorable performance for the seventh-round rookie since his Week 2 breakout against the Los Angeles Chargers. That, of course, raised the suspicions of the league.

Watson took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to reveal that he’d been selected by the league for a performance-enhancing drug test.

These tests are supposed to be “random” but they always seem to be conveniently timed after a player has a big performance. The same thing happened to Chiefs P Tommy Townsend following the Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

It seems like it’s just too hard for the league to believe that a seventh-round rookie could progress and have such an impactful game in the playoffs. Remember, he was thrown into the fire early this season and has been slowly working his way back after a hand injury. Rest assured, he’ll be a key part of the starting lineup in Kansas City moving forward as he continues to make a name for himself during the postseason.

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Blake Gillikin says he’s been randomly drug-tested after record-tying performance

Blake Gillikin says he’s been randomly drug-tested after a record-tying performance against the Packers:

Come on, man. Blake Gillikin returned to New Orleans after a record-tying preseason game against the Green Bay Packers to learn that he’s been randomly selected for NFL drug testing. Gillikin shared the news on his personal Twitter account, which remains unverified though he’s used it often since he became a highly-rated high school recruit back in 2014.

It isn’t unusual to see players called in for random testing this time of the year. But the optics couldn’t be worse given Gillikin just booted an 81-yard punt for the New Orleans Saints a few days ago while dropping several other balls deep inside enemy territory. He’s established himself as a weapon for the Saints in the kicking game, and this big game in Green Bay is just the latest proof of it.

And, hey: look at Gillikin following in his mentor’s footsteps. His predecessor Thomas Morstead was also memorably popped for random performance-enhancing drug testing back in 2019, just days after he shared an intense workout video on social media. Hopefully the tests clear Gillikin of any wrongdoing and he can get back to flipping the field on Sundays.

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Cameron Jordan says NFL hit him with random drug test after casual backflip

Cameron Jordan says NFL hit him with random drug test after casual backflip

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Let no good expression of world-class athleticism go unpunished. That’s the lesson Cameron Jordan learned when he received notice from the NFL that he’s been summoned for a random test for performance enhancing drugs, just days after the big New Orleans Saints defensive end was spotted passing on a helping hand from teammate Marcus Williams to roll backwards and flip onto his feet (check it out in the video below).

Jordan’s always-high energy level has been one of his best qualities as a pro, allowing him to continue pressuring quarterbacks late into games during some very long seasons. And acrobatic displays like this at north of 280 pounds (285 to be exact, he’s quick to remind us) help reinforce that.

He has had two sacks in back-to-back games and has benefited from David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport’s return to the lineup. Let’s see what he has in store against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, his most favorite opponent to throw to the ground, on Sunday. Ryan has been sacked by Jordan 21 times in 20 games together. That’s an NFL record for the most times a quarterback has been sacked by a single defender. Hopefully Jordan can extend his lead while chasing the elusive century mark (he’s currently up to 96.5 sacks in 167 career regular season games).

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Myles Garrett retires his ‘sleeveless’ look after another random drug test

Garrett notes he’s been selected for random drug tests after each game he’s gone sleeveless and showed off the impressive muscles

Myles Garrett isn’t built like a normal NFL player. Or a normal human being, for that matter. And it seems the NFL doesn’t believe Garrett can look as physically awesome as he does without some help.

The Browns standout defensive end revealed on his social media that he’s been tabbed by the NFL for a random drug test after the Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Garrett believes it’s because of his sleeveless look in the game.

“I go sleeveless TWO TIMES and get “randomly” drug tested BOTH times… I’d try 3 for 3 but they can miss me with the blood draw – not the vibe. #SleevelessMyles is retired,” Garrett tweeted out. 

Garrett has never failed a drug test, for the record.

Red River Shootout: Ronnie Perkins to play against Texas

Lincoln Riley has been in the process of getting DE Ronnie Perkins eligible and has pulled it off just in time for the Red River Shootout.

Before last season’s blowout loss to LSU in the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma’s impact defensive end Ronnie Perkins was suspended after failing a drug test. He has missed the Sooners’ first two games of the season and will not play on Saturday against Iowa State.

Head coach Lincoln Riley has been in the process of getting Perkins eligible and has pulled it off just in time for the Red River Shootout.

According to Jason Kersey of The Athletic, Perkins will be with the team in Ames on Saturday night and “should be ready for Texas next week.” Despite traveling with Oklahoma, the defensive end is in sweats and will be on the sidelines.

Perkins has recorded 75 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks in two seasons for the Sooners. Widely considered Oklahoma’s best defensive player, Alex Grinch’s pass rush is getting an instant boost.

Against the Longhorns last season, Perkins recorded five tackles and one sack.

Prior to Saturday night’s matchup against Iowa State, Oklahoma recorded five sacks, four of which came against FCS opponent Missouri State. Perkins will change the dynamic of the Sooners’ defensive line.

Texas will play in the annual Red River Shootout against Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10. Left tackle Samuel Cosmi and right tackle Christian Jones’ job just became a whole lot harder.

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Report: Mekhi Becton’s drug test at the scouting combine gets flagged

Report: Mekhi Becton’s drug test at the scouting combine gets flagged

It’s an annual rite of passage in the NFL Draft. Every year, without fail, some players wind up failing drug tests administered at the Scouting Combine. We now know who some of those are in 2020, thanks to reports from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and others.

One of the biggest names is one of the biggest men, and also one of the biggest potential targets for the Cleveland Browns at the No. 10 overall pick. Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was specifically named by Rapoport in his tweet report as failing the drug test.

The new CBA has downgraded failed drug tests, but there is a catch for Becton and others. Because they are not officially NFL players yet, they don’t qualify for that protection. Becton and the others will enter the league with a strike on the substance abuse policy.

It’s a minor issue for Becton and teams that want to draft him.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn reinstated as titleholder, Alejandra Jimenez stripped

Franchon Crews-Dezurn has been reinstated as 168-pound titleholder after the WBO decided to strip Alejandra Jimenez of the belt.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn can go back to calling herself a women’s super middleweight titleholder.

The Washington D.C. fighter was reinstated as a WBO titlist after the sanctioning body formally stripped Alejandra Jimenez of the belt earlier this week for failing to adequately defend her positive PED test, according to multiple reports.

Jimenez tested for a banned substance shortly after notching a wide points decision over Crews-Dezurn in their Jan. 10 title bout. That fight has since been changed to a no-decision.

According to a letter sent by the WBO to both fighters, obtained by BoxingScene.com, Jimenez was dropped as the titleholder because her argument in defense of her positive drug test was not up to snuff.

The letter read in part: “Ms. Jimenez failed to comply with this Committee’s orders as per the ‘Show Cause’ notices. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Ms. Jimenez filed two email communications with no reliable, credible, or relevant supporting evidence in her defense, rather unfounded allegations unsupported in the record.”

Said Crews-Dezurn promoter Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya: “Justice has been served. This is the correct decision to make on behalf of the WBO to reinstate Franchon Crews-Dezurn as its super middleweight champion. It is always great to see justice in action, especially in this sport.”

Jimenez’s “A” and “B” samples allegedly both tested positive for Stanozolol, a synthetic substance derived from testosterone that promotes cell growth and the development of masculine characteristics.