The Hollis Thomas thing

The NFL has suspended Saints defensive tackle Hollis Thomas for the remainder of the regular season due to a positive test for a banned substance. Thomas and his agent and the team doctor are (sort of) claiming that the positive test (might) be caused by Thomas's asthma medication. I have a few problems with that argument.

1) According to the T-P, the Saints' doctor wrote the NFL a letter listing the names of the substances in Thomas's medication. They are.. according to the doctor.. fluticasone, albuterol, and salmeterol. Thomas tested positive for something called clenbuterol. It is Dr. Amoss's theory (he uses the phrase "highly plausible") that the related substances in HT's system could have caused a "false positive" test for the one that showed up. The equivocating language here indicates to me that the doctor is attempting to sell a "plausible" theory by burrying it under a screen of long similar sounding names for things.

2)Thomas is a 9 year veteran who has had this condition his entire career and yet claims in the T-P that he began this drug regimen during training camp this season. Thomas has in fact been receiving treatment for asthma for a number of years.

3)In today's article, Thomas and his agent state that the substance he tested positive for is not a "mass-building" anabolic steroid yet in the same article.. and in the video Ashley links to, Thomas's major complaint is that he can't have tested positive because he's not trying to gain weight. Again this looks like two contrary arguments thrown out for diversionary purposes.

4)Thomas and his agent.. who have been fighting this thing all season.. have gone to extraordinary lengths in order to cynically frame this issue in the press. About a week before the ruling was handed down, they conveniently planted a puff piece in the paper highlighting Thomas's struggles with asthma.

Even if the facts here weren't so deliberately confused by the player, the agent, and the doctor, cheap publicity sell jobs like that are always suspicious. Whatever the circumstances, the NFL.. after reviewing the case for four months.. didn't buy Thomas's story. I'm not buying it either.

Update: The anti-doping site, Steroid Nation has some info about the substance Thomas tested postitive for.

I see Thomas was caught with Clenbuterol, a favored drug of bodybuilders for some time now. Clen is a beta-agonist/antagonist that could be used in treating asthma; however it has been on everyone's banned list for years now.

Clen is used by bodybuilders for cutting. Thomas is a big (har humph) man. It would not surprise me that he was using Clen to control weight.

Clen is also supposed to pack on lean body mass (muscle) perhaps thru HGH or another mechanism.

A man Thomas' size might be playing with fire in taking Clen. Clen may have cardiac side effects (hypertrophy). As in the case with Kory Stringer, that's not a good thing.

Clen is not FDA approved. BUSTED.

Update 2: In the comments below, Leo points out that Hollis does still have something to contribute this holiday season:

Hollis Thomas at Republic New Orleans
Sunday, December 17th
New Orleans Saints Defensive Specialist Hollis Thomas will be hosting his toy drive, entitled “Share Your Christmas,” where he will be bringing toys to children hospitalized during Christmas. Join Hollis after the Saints/Redskins game for a toy drive to benefit patients at Children’s Hospital who won’t be home for Christmas. Please bring a toy and receive complimentary and preferential admission.