Cushing suspended four games for violating NFL steroid policy Aaron Wilson

In the wake of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing being suspended for four games for violating the NFL steroid policy, teammate and middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans weighed in on the situation.

Here are some remarks from Ryans on the issue via the Texans' public relations department:

(on the difficulty of helping fellow LB Brian Cushing through this process and knowing they'll play without him for four games) "It's definitely going to be tough for us, missing a great player for four games. He brought a lot to our defense, so we're going to miss him. We're definitely going to miss him. But guys have to step up. It's just like if anyone got injured on this team, the next man, his number's called, he has to step up and come in and play well for us. And going through this situation with Cushing, it's been difficult on him. So for me, it's just giving him advice: just face it and do what you have to do, but learn from it and move on. That's the biggest thing that I had to tell him."

(on if he believes Cushing) "Oh yeah, I believe him. Cushing is a hard working guy. There's nobody that works as hard as Cush and is as competitive as he is. I don't think that he would cheat the game, the way that people call him a cheater, and I don't think that Cushing is that type of person."

(on if he was shocked by the news) "Everyone was shocked. Just like, you know, you hear that news and everyone is shocked. I'm at home for the weekend, that news pops up—it's like, 'Wow. We're going to be missing Cushing for four games.' But the first thought is, hopefully he is ok, health-wise."

(on if a four-game suspension is a tough enough penalty for using performance-enhancing drugs) "I think it's pretty strict enough for those guys. Guys need to understand the risk that they're putting on their bodies as opposed to whether it's escalating your contract or getting that money—how is this going to affect you in the long term? Money will be ok but your health is the most important thing that you have. So I wish no guys would take that approach and say, 'We'll take the four-game suspension and just deal with it.' I hope no one thinks like that."

(on if Cushing's winning the AP Rookie of the Year Award revote validates his on-field performance) "It was very important for him, it was a huge award and I was happy for him that he got it again. And he deserved it. Of course he was the best rookie defensive player there was and he went out and proved that. And coming in this year after he's off those four games, I don't see any drop off on what Cushing is going to bring to us. So you'll see that same level of play, that same intensity when he comes back next year."

(on what it was like watching Cushing hold the press conference) "I know it's tough on him. Those are some tough questions, but you have to face it. They tell us, you know, you have to be responsible for whatever you put in your body so you have to take the heat that comes with it."

(on how the defense will deal with Cushing's absence) "It can't be hard on us. We've got to move on. We can't take a step back and we can't press the panic button just because Cushing isn't here. We're still moving on and our goals don't change. We're here to win football games and win championships. So down one player or however many players, goals are not going to change."

(on the difference between abusing illegal drugs like cocaine and using performance enhancers, and if he feels they should be separate categories) "I think those are two different things, and there are two different rules according to that. Because there are two different tests for those. There's a substance of abuse test and there's a performance enhancer test. So under that, there's different penalties for both of those."

(on if he and Cushing were close last year) "Oh yeah, we're still tight."

(on if Cushing mentioned anything about possible tumors during the season) "No, I didn't know anything about tumors. I know he had a lot going on with his health, but I didn't know about the tumors."

(on if there's an ounce of skepticism in his body about any of this) "I don't get skeptical with it. I think, like I said earlier, guys have to be responsible with it, and it's big of Cushing to come up here and face the facts because you see a lot of guys that get the four-game suspension and then you never hear anything else about it. So I thought it was big of him to come out here and face the questions from you guys today, and you know it was a tough situation for him to come up and do that. It was big of him."

(on how quickly he tried to reach out to Cushing and the rest of the linebackers after hearing of the suspension) "Oh, I tried to reach out to Brian the day that I heard it, but just like anyone else getting that news, I knew his phone was going crazy and he had a lot on his plate to deal with at that time so I understood that it was going to be tough for him to get back with me."

(on what resources and expertise the NFL provides to make sure that players don't suffer the unintended consequences of ingesting something they say they never did via supplements or whatever their diet might be) "I think, what with whatever you take, you know we have a great nutritionist who's here, Roberta Anding, and she tells us all of the time, whatever you take bring it to them and they can test out whatever you're taking and make sure that nothing is in there that's on the banned substance list. So, we have great resources here that check everything out, so for the most part, everything should be pretty clean if you go through the proper resources, proper steps and let Roberta check it out."

(on if he thinks the long lag time between the test and the appeal needs to be looked into in the NFLPA or the NFL) "Well it depends. I know they took more tests, so it depends on if those tests after that, did they come up positive also? We don't know that, so other than that one positive test, he tested clean throughout the rest of the year. So I think it was fine."

(on if he thinks guys who get caught cheating or are suspended should be eligible for awards) "No, if it's found out that you're cheating, I don't think you should be eligible for an award because you're gaining a true competitive advantage by cheating. Let's all face it. You don't want a game full of cheaters, you want the game to be played clean. It's a fun game, so why mess the game up by cheating?"

(on the prospect of doing all the right things and going through the proper channels and still testing positive) "It is difficult. Hearing him say that he went through all those steps and still get a positive test, that's real tough. But I don't take anything; I just go out and play. It's tough. Whatever guys want to do, like I said, you still just have to be responsible and you have to be man enough to take whatever comes with whatever you take."