The NFL has seen some major players go down with serious injuries this season, and former quarterback Brady Quinn has a rather interesting theory as to why.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (knee), Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (achilles), Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (knee) and Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (achilles) are among the players who already are out for the remainder of the season at its halfway point, and that only skims the surface. And Quinn said the use of human growth hormone could be to blame.
“I’m not going to be a whistleblower and I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” Quinn said on CBS Sports’ “Roughing the Passer” podcast recently. “There’s got to be something these guys are taking. That’s what I think, at least.”
Quinn said starters aren’t tested for banned substances much beyond their annual test and one random test, so it’s fairly easy to get away with. While he reiterated that he’s not accusing anyone specifically, Quinn believes the risk outweighs the reward in the minds of the “40 to 50 percent” of players he thinks are using HGH.
“If you’re a top-of-the-line guy and you’re getting $16 million a year — you’re getting a million bucks a game — if you get popped for taking something that helps you get that big-time contract or hit that incentive in your contract where you get paid all of the sudden in your contract year, guess what?” Quinn said. “First (failed test), four-game (suspension). Let’s talk about financially, ‘Am I going to sacrifice $4 million in order for me to get that big contract on the back end? Yeah, I am.'”
Quinn offered other explanations for the influx of injuries, too, adding that playing surfaces and improper footwear, supplements that dehydrate players’Â bodies and overworking in the offseason could be causes, as well. Regardless of the actual root of the problem, though, it should be the NFL, not just Quinn, who’s speculating on the issue.
Thumbnail photo via Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY Sports Images
