[ethat001]

You guys are all wrong.

BRIAN CUSHING IS THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE WORLD.

I encourage EVERY young athlete to do drugs. Get your hands on the best steroids money can buy. It CLEARLY pays off. In baseball, football, wherever. Just try not to get caught UNTIL you've played for a while and gotten paid.

In the end - a mediocre young athlete can bust his butt off and fail -- and bag groceries at Safeway. OR - he could use steroids and get drafted, get millions of dollars and even get DROY. What happens if you get caught? You get to keep your awards, keep your MILLIONS, and you even get one month more vacation in September. Four game suspension is nothing, and if anything it encourages more people to do it. Why wouldn't a player like Justin Tryon or Rob Jackson start taking steroids? If they don't make the team their lives are marginal if not over. And the penalty is obviously small -- no one apparently cares.

I think there are two parties at fault:
1) Sports leagues (& Congress) -- harsher penalties for crimes such as this. He should've lost his DROY and probably should have been suspended the season since he was already suspected of prior drug use.

2) Fans - including ourselves. We still buy tickets to watch ARod, Bonds, Shawne Merriman.. And Houston fans will still cheer Cushing by next year when he gets that interception for a touchdown...


[disclaimer: i actually do not think anyone should do steroids. i'm just pointing out that given the current regulations and punishments, it makes financial sense to do so because it is not really punished]