Jamar Nesbit

September 23rd, 2008 filed in Football

Jamar Nesbit, starting left guard for the New Orleans Saints, has been suspended without pay for the team’s next four games for violating the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances, the league announced Tuesday afternoon. This again points out the leniency inherent in the leagus steroid policy, as previously mentioned in the recent NFL Doping Report article. While the World Anti-Doping Agency suspends for 2 years for a violation, the NFL suspension is only 4 weeks.

“We are disappointed in the suspension of Jamar,” said Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis. “We will support Jamar through this process and look forward to having him rejoin the team soon.” Nesbit, 31, had started every game for the Saints at left guard the last two seasons. He previously played for Jacksonville and Carolina. Nesbit’s suspension begins immediately. He is eligible to return to the Saints’ active roster on Monday, Oct. 20, following the team’s Week 7 game against the Carolina Panthers the previous day.

The announcement today will come as a surprise to some, especially Larry Weisman of the USA Today. Weisman named Nesbit to his 15th annual All-Joe squad, and featured him on the team with an article entitled, “Nesbit worker mentality embodies spirit of All-Joe team” in 2007. In the article, Weisman quotes Nesbit :

“The only thing I can say about my career is that if you do the right things, good things will happen. It may not be when you want it, but in the end the good things outweigh the bad.”

It makes you wonder what good Nesbit will have to do to outweigh this suspension.

The Times-Picayune has contacted Nesbit for his side of the story :

Nesbit, who will not be allowed to participate in any team activities until Oct. 20, insisted he never intentionally took any substances banned by the NFL. He said that his failed drug test stemmed from an over-the-counter product he took this summer, which was advertised as an all-natural body-cleansing health product. Nesbit said he checked all of the ingredients on the bottle against the NFL’s list of approved substances and also called the company. But he said there was an unidentified ingredient in the product that caused him to fail a drug test this summer.

“The NFL’s policy is that I’m responsible for whatever I put in my body,” said Nesbit, a 10-year veteran who has not missed a game in his five seasons with the Saints. “And to a certain extent, I understand the logic behind it. And I support the league in trying to keep the integrity of the sport clean. At the same time, I don’t think this rule was meant to affect the Jamar Nesbits of the world — or, I should say, the people that are trying to do the right thing. Hopefully people that know me or know of me know that I wouldn’t try to cheat the game or cheat myself.”

So what do you think, is Nesbit an example of perseverance, or is he just another cheater?