The top two players for the Arizona Cardinals have been arrested for alleged domestic abuse, and one is dead.
After training camp practice on Saturday, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins told reporters he wished the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs was less “black and white.”
Hopkins claims that the reason for the policy violation—which carries a six-game suspension—is that his blood contained 0.134% oestrogen, whereas the acceptable level is 0.100%.
The All-Pro receiver insists that the material was an impurity, pointing out that it occasionally ends up in shampoo and that he doesn’t take supplements.
Hopkins declared, “I’ve never taken any of that kind of stuff.” “If you are aware of what it is, you can find it in many different products, including shampoo. Naturally, I wish the rule wasn’t so black and white because the NFL is obviously very black and white. That’s just the way things are.
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“When you’re not employed by the manufacturing company, it can be difficult to determine when something becomes contaminated at a trace level.”
Hopkins claimed that despite his best efforts, he was never able to determine the source of the contamination.
He said those specifics are best left for another day, but he later dropped the suspension after filing an appeal.
Hopkins did point out that he fought for as long as he could, but that he wished he had had more time.
“You understand what I mean when I say that when you’re not in charge of manufacturing anything or what goes through a conveyor belt, it’s difficult to know what you can eat and what you can do?” stated Hopkins. It follows that I do believe that the rules ought to be changed. But as I mentioned earlier, things like that will sort themselves out, and I’ve never taken anything. I hardly ever take vitamins.
Hopkins’s preparation for the forthcoming season is affected by the suspension. He’s already had an unusual offseason as he heals from his first serious injury sustained in the NFL (a knee injury).
During his six-week suspension, Hopkins said he intends to simulate what the Cardinals do in practice in order to be able to seamlessly return when activated.
Hopkins stated, “I think it’s a great plan because the rehab guys and the strength training coach are on the same page.”
Hopkins stated that one positive aspect of his situation is that he will be healthy and have 11 games to work with during training camp, although he will ramp up more slowly than normal because he won’t be playing right away.
