Dion Jordan claims he took banned stimulants

Written by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk
Former Dolphins defensive Jason Taylor recently raved about current Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan, twice calling Jordan a “sponge.”

And now we know why Jordan has been able to focus so well.

Jordan claims that his four-game suspension flows from taking banned stimulants — and not from steroids or other banned substances aimed at helping players build up their bodies.  Adderall has become one of the more commonly used stimulants by NFL players.

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Meanwhile, some may not believe Jordan, given that he spent the offseason building up his body, with 15 pounds of muscle added to his frame.

“I recently learned from the NFL that I tested positive for stimulants that are banned under the NFL policy,” Jordan said in a statement released by the team.  “I worked carefully with my advisors and the union to investigate the test results, and I take full responsibility for the test results.”

While not a typical dog-ate-my-homework-and-then-injected-me-with-a-PED-when-I-wasn’t-looking excuse, the fact that there was an “investigation” of the test results suggests that Jordan’s immediate reaction wasn’t, “Damn, I got caught.”  His carefully-chosen words create at least a shadow of doubt that the NFL technically can’t dispute given the confidentiality provision of the policy.  (Then again, that didn’t stop the NFL from calling out Robert Mathis.)

If/when the NFL and the NFLPA agree to conduct HGH testing, the league will be able to provide more information about whether a guy took stimulants or steroids or a masking agent or something else.  In turn, the players will have an appeals process that, for positive tests, entails a third-party arbitrator and not the Commissioner or his hand-picked designee.

Jordan’s appeal process went through the league office, if he even filed one.  Either way, the process is now final; he’ll miss 25 percent of the season, losing more than $116,000 in salary and giving up more than $784,000 in signing bonus money.

That’s a total bill of more than $800,000 for the positive test.