Gates Suspended 4 games for PEDs

[Panamamike]

Do you realize how the 'supplement' game is played?

The companies manufacture their products in two formulas. One for the US which is 'clean', and another formula they sell down in TJ, which has god knows what in it.

Do you realize how easy it is for cross contamination to happen in such scenarios, especially if the supplement is made in China?

More than likely, our friend Mr Gates thought 'holistic' and 'gluten free' meant they didn't play the supplement game...hence he messed up big time.

And not he's gotta pay the piper for not doing his homework.

After his 4 game suspension, I guarantee he's going to run all his supplements down to the NFL lab before he ingests them.

Add to the fact that there is no FDA oversight and they do not have to actually list the ingredients. They have a huge lobby group. It is beyond me how after the congress involvement to clean up pro sports "to protect our children" yet continue to allow this nonsense to continue. If you want to really protect the health of your children, clamp down on the supplement industry and force it to clean up the manufacturing process and insist in transparency of what is actually in the product. There are millions of kids and teens consuming these products.....the age group that is most adversely affected by their product as their bodies are not fully developed. FYI, a properly administered steroid regimen for a fully grown adult is not harmful to the extent people believe and in many cases can be beneficial. The huge problems and side effects occur when they are used by people still in growth stages, questionable quality of product is used, and they are used by self-administering idiots instead of under the guidance of a physician.

[Mister Hoarse]

If you want any bills passed through Congress, they need to be unmarked non-consecutive hundies.

[blueman]

Should work in the Chargers favor, if LG is not close to the level of a 35 yr old TE than the Chargers have no chance to do anything anyway. Of course Gates is still highly capable in the red zone and making big catches on 3rd downs. But LG should bring big play ability back to the TE position along with adding to team speed. Blocking should at a minimum be a push as Gates never was the best blocker on the block. LG just needs to step up and Rivers will be forced to give the guy a fair shot that I don't think would happen with his security blanket Gates around.

It is good to shake things up as we weren't a contender with Gates so maybe LG will surprise people and Gates coming back will be a bonus which is all he should be at this point in his career.

One way to get Green to start.

[Coachmarkos]

I'm of the opinion that if everyone in the NFL who was actually violating the PED policies were caught, there wouldn't be much of an NFL left, anymore.

Non-Garanteed contracts for jobs that are worth millions of dollars, and you have a very limited (short) career?

Please.

The amount of PED's being taken has got to be staggering. I'm not saying it's as dirty as cycling was in the Lance Armstrong era, but I would venture a guess that it's closer to that than it is to being "clean".

I'm becoming less of an NFL fan every day. I still like football, and I suppose I always will, but it no longer is such a big deal. It's just a game after all.

[Wheels]

I hear that the list of banned substances is pretty extensive. Does anyone have any idea of how long that list actually is?

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/PDFs/Player%20Planner/2014%20NFL%20List%20of%20Prohibited%20Substances.pdf

[Bolt-O]

Philip Rivers doesn't believe that Gates knowingly took a banned PED. I think he knows Gates more than QSmokey does. Good enough for me, unless PR gets busted.

[6025]

PR is a good guy who will always have his team's back. But Rivers also believed one more year of Norv was what the team needed.

[Mister Hoarse]

PR is a good guy who will always have his team's back. But Rivers also believed one more year of Norv was what the team needed.

The only black mark on him.

[6025]

The only black mark on him.

While this is true, he was amply punished for his loyalty by the guy who's back he covered - he was repaid by constantly having to drop back five steps with no OL to protect him.

[RobH]

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.n...Substances.pdf

Thanks, Wheels. That's quite a list. It doesn't seem to include products that have those chemicals included in the makeup. Players have to be very careful, I'd say. I'm not saying that Gates isn't guilty, but it doesn't seem real easy to know whether a supplement has any of these chemicals in it; especially if it's improperly labeled.

[QSmokey]

Philip Rivers doesn't believe that Gates knowingly took a banned PED. I think he knows Gates more than QSmokey does. Good enough for me, unless PR gets busted.

Ha! That would fall under the "Now I've Seen Everything" thread. And, if that happened, I would be willing to bet that even some long-time Charger fans would join me in saying "Sayonara" to the Chargers - and the NFL - for good. Hell, half this board is going to 'retire' (myself included) in the event the team moves out of San Diego. Rivers getting busted - for anything - would certainly be more unthinkable than that.

[blueman]

Godzilla!!!

Just felt the need to reset.

4 games, that'll suck, but also give us a chance to see how our other newer weapons do. Mark it down as our first injury..