In one of those stories you couldn’t make it up it turns out contaminated meat was the cause of Houston Texans tackle Duane Brown positive for PED test last season.
According to ESPN.com, Brown, who also tested positive for PEDs in 2010, tested positive last November after he visited Mexico during a bye-week. Brown faced a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy a second time.
Luckily for Brown it was discovered that the league banned substance Clenbuterol was being used in cattle being raised in Mexico and China. Brown and his representation were able to point to meal receipts from the Mexican restaurant he visited and successfully appealed the decision.
The incident shows how easy it is for a player to ingest a banned substance unknowingly. Brown could have been suspended for more than half the season and docked millions of dollars because he ate tainted meat. Given players have limited playing careers in the league and these type of suspensions not only can cost millions, but can also bring down future compensation, it’s scary to think just how big of a financial impact this could have had.
Brown’s case isn’t a first. In 2011, five Mexican national soccer players tested positive due to eating contaminated meat.
As Pro Football Talk reports, the NFLPA issued a warning to its players about eating meat in China and Mexico, telling players if they decided to eat meat, that “you do so at your own risk”.
“There is some evidence that some meat produced in China and Mexico may be contaminated with clenbuterol, an anabolic agent which is banned by the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances,” the letter reads. “Consuming large quantities of meat while visiting those particular countries may result in a positive test for clenbuterol in violation of the Policy.”
I think it’s fair to assume when NFL players visit Mexico in the future, they won’t be ordering steak (Chick-Fil-A should have sponsored this post).
