Didn’t he get suspended for performance enhancing drugs but later claimed it was just some medicine for erectile disfunction?
No that’s not even close to what happened.
Him and his wife were trying to have a child. He took a pill prescribed by his doctor that was NOT on the banned substance list. His doctor assured him that it was acceptable and that he had given it to NFL players before. Tate trusted the doctor and took the medicine. Tate on his own accord investigated the drug further and found that one of the active ingredients in the drug was indeed on the banned substance list, even though the drug itself was not. Tate reported himself to the league and explained how it happened. It is one of those gray areas but Goodell suspended him because Tate didn’t follow proper protocol. Tate is responsible for what he takes and he should have spoken to team doctors and the league prior to taking the drug for approval. Had he done that and they later found out the active ingredients had a banned substance in it then he would have been fine.
His mistake was trusting the doctor. Looking at the banned substance list and seeing that the medicine was not on it and stopping there. He still should have cleared it with team doctors prior to taking it.
Well that definitely isn’t as interesting as what I thought happened.
This is the version of events that some other guys who got popped used as well. I’m not buying it. There was no hidden ingredient that he didn’t know about, the drug itself is banned. He “turned himself in” because he knew damn well the drug test he had already taken was going to be a fail…so he tried to jump out in front of it. He got caught.
Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but from my understanding this isn’t accurate. He hadn’t been tested and the league had no idea he was taking it is my understanding. This all took place in the off season. The NFL does not test in the offseason. Now you may argue he was concerned he might test positive once he reported. My understanding is also that he hadn’t been on the drug that long. I don’t recall reading or hearing anything about him being tested and trying to get out in front of it.
He still looked pretty spry against the Bucs.
I’d be interested in a DA type 1 year deal next year. At 1 year 5m I prefer Tate to DA. I’d see if I could talk him into punt returns again. GT is a magician back there.
First, the NFL most definitely tests during the offseason. Second, your “understanding” is exactly why Tate made his statements the way he did. If you read closely, you can see the holes in his story. You can also see where he eludes to certain things to lead you down the path that you were on, but was careful not to flat out lie about it. Go back and read his words carefully and compare them to what I said happened. Note that he said that he reported himself “before the positive test was CONFIRMED.” He was already tested and he knew he failed.
And going back to the other point, the drug itself is not FDA approved for use in men and its banned for sports because it spikes testosterone. He wasn’t tricked into taking something with a hidden or badly named ingredient.