Packers’ Clay Matthews Moves Past False Steroid Report

In the wake of being drafted in the first round by the Green Bay Packers following a false report that he had failed a steroid test at the NFL Scouting Combine, rookie linebacker Clay Matthews is still bothered by the stigma. Matthews, whose transition from Los Angeles to the hamlet of Green Bay was noted by Josh Alper in our One-Liners, is using the pre-draft incident to fuel his motivation, according to Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “I’m proud of the hard work I’ve put in and where I’ve come from,” Matthews told the Press-Gazette. “For someone to take a shot at that and saying that I took the easy way out to get where I did, it hurts.” Matthews, who walked on at USC and didn’t become a starter in high school until he was a senior, has his sights set on winning a starting job in the Packers’ 3-4 defense after being drafted No. 26 overall. “You want a team that’s going to believe in you,” Matthews said. “You want someone who’s going to throw you in there and give you opportunities to make plays and really showcase your abilities. . . . It seems like a great fit.”