Antonio Gates Bopped

NFL.com - We have a new biggest name in a rash of suspension announcements on the eve of the holiday weekend.

The San Diego Chargers announced Thursday that tight end Antonio Gates has been suspended four games without pay for violating the NFL Policy and Program for performance-enhancing substances.

Gates will miss games against the Lions, Bengals, Vikings and Browns. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Oct. 5, ahead of a Week 5 matchup against the Steelers. Gates is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games.

"We are tremendously disappointed for our team and our fans as well as Antonio, but no more disappointed than Antonio is with himself," the Chargers announced in a statement. "Antonio is a member of the Chargers' family and we will continue to support him 100 percent."

Gates blamed his positive test on "supplements and holistic medicines" he used in an effort to recover from the past season.

"In my 12 years in the NFL, I have taken tremendous pride in upholding the integrity of the NFL shield and all that it entails," Gates said in a statement. "I have taken extreme care of my body with a holistic approach and I have never knowingly ingested a substance that was banned by the NFL."

Give the Chargers credit. They can't go 2 weeks without pooping in their fans faces. They say any publicity is good publicity but any Chargers news this year has been a complete train wreck dumpster fire. Good thing the NFL as a product is bullet proof because if any other business had this start to the 2015 year people would be selling stock faster than the Greeks are pulling money out of the ATM's. 

I am not shocked that anyone gets suspended for PED's in football. I am more shocked that many more players haven't been caught though. The fact the 49ers LB core hasn't exploded from steroids is beyond me. The sports is so taxing physically that I don't blame this guys for supplementing especially since their the only major sports league without guaranteed contracts.

If anyone is disappointed by this news they simply are out of touch with reality. The majority of the league is on something to be able to play in the NFL. I am more disappointed that the suspended athletes come out with the weakest excuses possible. 

Antonio Gates coming with the soft excuse without naming the banned product is as bad is it gets from a personal PR standpoint. It blows my mind how their PR teams don't go the Giambi route and basically make them say they fucked up. The people who come with soft excuses end up looking soooo much worse in the long run.

Local Radio personalities that continue to hammer Brady on PSI ball pressure but making excuses for PED suspensions is very confusing from an outrage perspective. At least keep your outrage consistent and in line with the situation at hand or reality for that matter. A story like this proves that media can control public opinion. The national news cycle for steroids has already ended while ball pressure story is going on 6 months of coverage.

P.S. 

I bang on San Diego fans all day but even I feel bad for their 2015 sports run here. I mean its bad news after bad news and its only been 6 months. I would like to say it can only get better but that would be a flat out lie. 

P.P.S.

I only feel bad for the 167 fans that actually exist in San Diego though. Burn.

P.P.P.S.

This failed test was known by the player and Chargers in April as being reported by the AP. Zero shot this didn't also play into Rivers displeasure of being part of the squad in 2015. Love how no one is talking about that.