Carroll Denies Cushing, Matthews Drug Rumors

Our friends over at College Football Talk have relayed us their latest update on the steroid rumors surrounding USC linebackers Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing. USC coach Pete Carroll has denounced a report from NFLDraftBible.com, a Web site which claims that Matthews and Cushing tested positive for steroids at the NFL scouting combine. Carroll’s denial follows Matthews’ agent refuting the report earlier today when he released an e-mail to us that he sent to NFLDraftBible.com where he advised them to “govern themselves accordingly.” Posting on the official USC football blog, Carroll was emphatic in shooting down the report. “These rumors are absolutely false,” said Carroll, adding that the NFL testing service informed him that both players didn’t test positive. “If they were found positive, Clay and Cush would have been notified three weeks ago, which they weren’t, and all of the NFL teams would have been notified too, which they weren’t. “They’re both men of outstanding character and they never tested positive for anything here. This is an [sic] major example of irresponsible reporting, and the site that published this report should be ashamed of themselves.”