Bedard Spot On Regarding Matthews

Packer fans are understandably nervous about Clay Matthews after reports that Brian Cushing, one of Matthews' close friends and teammates from USC, will be suspended four games for steroid use in 2009. Aaron agrees 100 percent with Greg Bedard's take on the subject.

We've all read the report that Brian Cushing will be suspended the first four games of the year after testing positive for steroid use sometime in 2009. And we all immediatley thought: Oh no. What about Clay Matthews?

Greg Bedard has a pitch perfect take over on the Journal Sentinel's Packers blog:

As most of you know, NFLDraftBible.com reported before the 2009 draft that Matthews and Cushing both tested positive for steroids at the combine. Both ended up not being on the final list sent to teams and the report was retracted.

Fast forward a year later and now Cushing, after years of rumored steroid use (the whispers go back to his New Jersey high school days), has indeed failed a test for PEDs. While he could have tested positive for anything, the fact that he or his reps have not come out yet to say anything or to reveal what triggered the positive test does not look good.

Got a lot of questions on Twitter about what this means for Matthews, who hasn't commented on Cushing via his Twitter account.

My response?

Nothing. As long as he doesn't test positive for anything.

 

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Comments (38)

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CSS's picture

May 08, 2010 at 12:59 pm

His growth below is hardly dramatic over the course of 4 years. 15lbs in 4 years hardly screams steroids. I love it how naysayers reference the beginning of his junior year in high school where he was much, much shorter and only around 170 lbs.

Freshman year (05’) he was 6’3” 225 lbs.
http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/032206aaa.html
Sophomore year (06’) he was 6’3” 230 lbs.
http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/030807aaa.html
Junior year (07’) he was 6’3” 230 lbs.
http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/usc/sports/m-footbl/auto_p...
Senior year (08’) he was 6’3” 240 lbs.
http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/08-footbl-guide.html

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 08, 2010 at 06:10 pm

It's not so much the College growth that raised eyebrows. More-so the two years going from a HS junior weighing 165 lbs to a College freshman weighing 225 lbs.

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2009/04/clay-matthews-61-165-hig...

And yes, he did grow 2 inches in that time. 15 lbs in 4 years living in the USC weight-room is very plausible.

GBP 4 LIFE

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 08, 2010 at 06:12 pm

I'm not sure that 2 inches can accurately classified as "much, much shorter", when talking about 6'1" in relation to 6'3", but I digress...

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CSS's picture

May 08, 2010 at 06:20 pm

The 6' around 170 was the BEGINNING of his junior year. There was 2 full years and just over 2 inches of growth from that time until he enrolled at USC. 2 additional inches on a thick frame like his can translate into substantial weight gain.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 01:58 am

Hey, hey... I'm on your side Bud!

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riri's picture

May 19, 2010 at 09:50 pm

a high school junior is 15-16 years old! that is puberty! he is still growing, 2 inches till he went to college seems pretty normal. I know nothing about steroids but i have seen a teenager eat and grow.

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JerseyAl's picture

May 08, 2010 at 01:04 pm

As I tweeted to Greg, anyone deeply involved in HS football in these parts was always convinced he used steroids in HS, but of course there was no concrete proof...

We just have to hope Matthews wasn't influenced by Cushing. And I will give CM3 every benefit of the doubt.

Cushing working out in Jersey:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid...

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:03 am

Al, are you knee deep in Cush background? Was he "in-your-backyard"? If so, more knowledge, pleeze!

GBP 4 LIFE

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Monty's picture

May 08, 2010 at 01:31 pm

Greg Bedard - master of the obvious

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PackerAaron's picture

May 08, 2010 at 04:52 pm

This, from the man who gave us "Mike Neal: Project"

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maxginsberg's picture

May 08, 2010 at 01:37 pm

I give Matthews the benefit of the doubt as well; I just hope it's not because I'm looking through the lenses of a diehard fan.

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Jarrett Samuels's picture

May 08, 2010 at 01:59 pm

I am biased as well, I beleive Matthews is clean. He seems to have a good work ethic and really wants to be an NFL player, I just hope he understand hard work, not performance enhancing drugs will help keep him there.

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Globalpack's picture

May 08, 2010 at 02:22 pm

As olbagofdonuts pointed out recently, the packers really do put an emphasis on character. I would think tt would equate steroids with a character issue. So, it is safe to assume the massive background check they did on cm3 didn't produce any results or the trade up wouldn't have happened. But that is just pure conjecture on my part. Regardless he has my confidence til the tests say otherwise.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 08, 2010 at 03:06 pm

Until a failed test result is announced, Clay did things the right way. Period.

GBP 4 LIFE

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PackerBacker58's picture

May 08, 2010 at 03:55 pm

agreed

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cow42's picture

May 08, 2010 at 06:06 pm

he's got a giant forehead and his eyebrows stick out too far = guilty.

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nitschke's picture

May 12, 2010 at 04:44 pm

I have a giant forehead and my eyebrows stick out too far. Are you saying I use steroids?

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VApackerfan's picture

May 08, 2010 at 06:12 pm

Everybody needs to understand that steroids are very prevalent in football, and that there are a ton of players that do the stuff. It is a hush hush topic today. You think Ray Lewis is completely clean? Joey Porter? They juice in the off-season with HGH, which is undetectable in a urine test. They used to say the 70's and 80's were the steroid age in the NFL. Look at the size of those players, and compare them to the quickness and size of todays players. There is a difference. These guys can take HGH all year long if they wanted to, and add some testosterone suspension which has a half life of 1 day, take some orals which usually has a half life of less than a day, and if they get called for a random urine test they can take a diuretic and be fine. Cushing had the same downfall as Merriman. He didn't know how to beat the system. I hope Matthews is clean and judging by his weight increases over the years he could make those gains naturally. Do I think he has taken a performance enhancement drug in college? Absolutely! Most players do. However, it is a matter of how smart you are about it.

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Oppy's picture

May 08, 2010 at 07:11 pm

It appears I may be the only fan out there that can sum up his feelings on the CM3 Did he/Didn't he topic with this:

"I Really don't care either way, it's a non-issue to me."

As I stated before, these guys are professional football players in the NFL. Most of them have been or will be on that needle. Anyone involved in pro sports, ESPECIALLY the NFL, who tries to tell you that steroid use isn't a commonplace, accepted part of life in the NFL is full of hog-wash IMO.. So this story is a non-story to me, regardless if he did or didn't.

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CSS's picture

May 08, 2010 at 11:44 pm

I disagree Oppy. You discount nasal, Oral, suppository and perhaps a yet unknown ear-atory (a real word?) injecthalosmosilation!

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Oppy's picture

May 09, 2010 at 01:24 pm

Fair enough, you got me.

But let's not discount transdermal introduction of anabolic steroids, either.. or do nasal/oral (under the tongue? vs. ingested)/suppository/ proposed ear-atory all sort of fall under that blanket? :)

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Ron LC's picture

May 08, 2010 at 08:18 pm

Guilt by association. Typical JS reporter.

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PackersRS's picture

May 08, 2010 at 09:45 pm

I may be a terrible person, but as long as he doesn't hurt other people, and performs on the field, I could care less if he uses steroids or not.

My concern, if he does, is not that he'll be suspended. Ir's rather whether his performance is attached to steroid use and whether/how much will his production decline. Yes, he seems to have a knack for the ball, and he does have some nice passrushing moves, but if he was 0.5 seconds slower coming off the edge, would he be such a good player???

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:39 am

"I may be a terrible person"...

STFU, you know we got you (Shit son, I GOT YOU, if nobody else does, that's all you need guy). Top 5 GBP "taker" on the net... JUUUUST BEHIND ME :-)! No joke kid. You're rock f'ing solid. 1 of 7 people I "S-T-O-P" TO "R-E-A-D". No Shit, unless an 8th+ catches my eye... If I don't see "certain-peep's"... I move on!

BUP-BUP-TO-THE-BANG

You're rock solid Kid.... Keep it coming!

Can't teach that.

Blit-Blit

GBP 4 LIFE

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PackersRS's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:37 pm

Thanks for the words, Fitz. Right back at you, man!

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PackersThad's picture

May 09, 2010 at 12:47 am

It's damn near 2 AM and I'm pretty drunk from multiple bottles of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, Coastal Wheat, and Summer Ale! I just thought you should know....

LET'S GO PACKERS!! LONG LIVE CHTV!!!

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:06 am

LOL. Track down some NW IPA's.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:13 am

Cherry wheat was acceptable in 7th grade... Really though, that's not a fabrication! 7TH GRRRR IS THE CUT OFF.

GBP 4 LIFE

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:11 am

Who just saw Machida get OWNED?

Shogun = GBP
Lyoto = bares

End game = Shogun... yer eye be hurtin'! I like Machida, but when I heard he drank his first pee of the morn... every morn... He lost me!

EphhIT, represent Rua!

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PackersRS's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:40 pm

Machida is crazy as hell... Apparently it was his granpa who thought him that.

I respect him, though, because he comes from actual Martial Arts background, with principles and discipline, rather than just something where people punches each other and roll on the ground ;)

But he's crazy.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

May 09, 2010 at 06:53 pm

Yeah, he's got a real solid background. And you gotta have a touch of crazy in you to wake up every morning, grab a glass, piss in said glass, raise that very glass to your lips, and proceed to drink every last drop... what a way to start your day. WOW, just f'ing WOW!

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M orli's picture

May 09, 2010 at 06:58 am

I personally don't think CM3 used steroids simply because of the reason, that Cushing was actually found guilty much earlier in the year, and just because of his unsuccesful appeal, it was published now. The Texans knew that Cushing was in trouble, and drafted a LB much earlier than expected. The Packers didn't draft a single OLB, right?

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bomdad's picture

May 09, 2010 at 09:18 am

Looks like the Williams will also get their suspensions. Where is the state of society when players who do get caught with banned substances are legally protected from the repercussions?

The reason I care about steroids is because of the guys who take them and DONT make the NFL. Hey they are just trying to be the best right? Yeah in the game of life, that HS conference championship doesn't mean squat.

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frosty's picture

May 09, 2010 at 11:58 am

lets be accurate here -- those guys didn't test positive for a PED, they tested positive for a masking agent. as much as I would love for them to be suspended, they did find a state vs federal legal hole that needed to be heard and closed.

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PackersRS's picture

May 09, 2010 at 02:43 pm

Isn't Cushing in the same boat? Wasn't he caught because of a masking agent?

And let's be real, pro athletes don't just accidentally use masking agents. That's BS.

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hoogus's picture

May 09, 2010 at 10:51 pm

Agree with VAPackerfan. Testing is there to make a spectacle of the few stupid enough to get caught and therefore provide plausible deniability to the rest of the NFL. It is cynical and hypocritical. However, i do not think performance-enhancing drugs are OK just because pretty much all of the NFL uses them. The stakes are these: worker safety (bigger guys banging into each other = more injuries), long-term health issues, & the effect on younger players. High school kids do not need more hormones!

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GD's picture

May 10, 2010 at 07:06 am

Its called puberty, I was 6'0" 175 at 17, then 6'1" 210 at 19...

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Ruppert's picture

May 10, 2010 at 07:11 am

Does your average football fan even know about the "connection" between Matthews and Cushing? I mean, I follow this stuff fairly closely, and am just now learning about all the rumors surrounding Cushing in high school. I wasn't aware that the Matthews rumor (thank you, Peter King)and the Cushing rumors were even related. There is no story here regarding Matthews. None. If this was not written on blogs, I might wonder if somehow covering this "connection" would even be viewed as responsible reporting. Of course, blogs don't have to worry about that. This is a product of how dead the NFL world is during the first week of May.

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