Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick tested positive for MDMA, which is more commonly know as “Molly,” prompting the NFL to suspend him for the first four games of the season.
Scandrick is the 21st of 104 players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs to test positive for MDMA. Sources told ESPN that the violation occurred while Scandrick was vacationing in Mexico with an ex-girlfriend, whom he claimed convinced him to add a substance he didn’t realize was on the banned list, into a cocktail they were drinking.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Scandrick failed a drug test in April and appealed its findings. The league rendered its decision Monday, also fining him $1 million, sources said.
In a statement released through his agent, Ron Slavin, Scandrick insisted he did not knowingly take a banned substance.
“I would like to apologize to my children, my family, the Jones family, my coaches, my teammates and my fans,” Scandrick said in the statement. “Failing a drug test is far out of my character, and although I never knowingly took a performance-enhancing drug/banned stimulant while on vacation in Mexico, I take full responsibility for what goes in my body and more importantly for the embarrassment of a failed drug test. It’s my goal by issuing this statement to clear my name and more importantly to be judged by what happens to me in the future.”
Lavin, the agent, said: “The current rules are what they are, and a player is responsible for what is in his body. However, I would like it known that it is my understanding that if the current proposed agreement related to HGH testing would have already been instituted, a very significant percentage of the players receiving ‘PED’ suspensions since the new CBA took effect would not have been suspended. Instead, these players, under the proposed new policy, would have been subjected to the Substance Abuse Policy and Program.
“More than 80 missed games, millions of dollars in fines and bonus repayments have been issued because the NFLPA and NFL cannot come to an agreement. The only people who are losing in this standoff are the players and fans.”
