A QUICK LOOK AT ROOKIE DRUG TESTING

In response to the Hulk-style changes to the physique of Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin from mid-January until mid-March, some readers have suggested in the comments that Maybin’s increased size and speed might have been aided by one or more pharmaceutical enhancements. Obviously, there’s no evidence that Maybin or anyone else is using juice other than orange or cranberry. Or maybe grapefruit. But there’s definitely an opportunity for incoming rookies to use banned substances, if they so choose. All rookies are tested at the Scouting Combine, for banned substances and for recreational drugs like marijuana. Then, they are all subject to testing once they sign their first contract and report for duty, typically in July or early August. Before the Combine in late February and from the completion of the Combine for at least five months, they can do whatever they want, without the chance of the NFL catching them. And since the testing at the Combine is announced, the only guys who’ll test positive for anything that could get them in trouble with the league are those who are stupid, or those who have a dependency problem. Indeed, we’ve heard rumors in the past of players going on a pot bender at the Combine, after giving their urine samples. So if Maybin or any other player is inclined to use any type of banned substance, there definitely is an opportunity to do so, and everyone in the league realizes it. The only exception is HGH. Since the NFL doesn’t test for it, any player can use it as long as he isn’t dumb enough to buy it with his credit card over the Internet, or lucky enough not to have his transaction detected after the Internet pharmacy from which he bought the HGH is raided by the feds. It would be unfair based on a before/after picture to presume that Maybin is doing anything other than saying his prayers and taking his vitamins like all good little Hulkamaniacs. But it would be naive to assume that one or more rookies competing for the contracts that go with draft positioning aren’t doing whatever they can to get an edge.