Hours after Sports Illustrated reported that Ray Lewis has been given deer antler extract, which contains a substance banned by the NFL as a performance-enhancer, Lewis insisted that that’s not the case.
Lewis said at Super Bowl Media Day that he never took deer antler extract and that the Sports Illustrated report is “stupidity.” Lewis also said he has been tested many times during his NFL career and has never tested positive.
“Every test I’ve ever took in the NFL? There’s never been a question if I’ve even thought about using anything,” Lewis said.
But Sports Illustrated reports that a company called Sports With Alternatives to Steroids, or SWATS, did give Lewis the deer antler extract, which contains the banned substance IGF-1. According to Sports Illustrated, many athletes are using the substance, even though it’s banned in all major sports. A high-profile story like this may lead the NFL to look into the use of supplements containing IGF-1, but any league action would take months, and Lewis’s last game is just five days away.
