The official "we support Robert Mathis" thread

[trueblueblood]

Since it's pretty much known that colts players read this forum, I thought it would be nice to let robert know that we support him and are behind him no matter what! I think we all know that Mathis would never do anything to intentionally hurt his team. We love you robert and we're behind you big guy!

[BlueCollarColts]

It sucks, but I support him no matter what

[TrueBlueHorseshoe]

I believe in 98.

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

I'll support him as long as he didn't take any PEDs.

If it's fertility drugs than that'd be awesome.

[Smonroe]

I support him, but I think he should accept that it was his responsibility to know what he puts in his body.  Don't put it on the doctor.

 

Robert, I'm happy that you and your wife are having a child.  I'm disappointed in the suspension, but I continue to support you.

[JlynRN]

I also support Robert !!!  He has been a Great leader for our team and a stand up guy and mentor for other players.  Now it's time for US as Colts fans to support Robert !!!  We all believe in you !!!

[deedub75]

There are no "male" infertility drugs.  Men take the same drugs the women take for fertility - clomid, HCG, etc.  Any athlete can go to a fertility specialist and say that they are trying to conceive a child and get these drugs.  Once they get caught then they pull the "we were trying to have a baby" card. 

 

I find it hard to believe that someone who has been in the league so long and has watched so many other players get busted for PEDs could make a mistake like this when a simple phone call to the NFLPA would have prevented this. 

[jvan1973]

I'll support him as long as he didn't take any PEDs.

If it's fertility drugs than that'd be awesome.

It appears he was seeking a performance enhancement in another area of his life...

[Get Lucky]

#ROBERTSTRONG

[IAColtsFan]

"Faith. Family. Football."

 

They are stated in that order for a reason.  Obviously as a big Mathis fan, I'm going to miss him during those 4 games but as a newly father myself I can tell you it was well worth it to him.

 

I feel sorry for Joe Flacco though as Mathis will be hungry in week 5.

[supremecoltsfan300]

I support him. It is his fault for not letting the NFL or NFLPA know about the drug.  He hurt this team in that regard.  Football-wise, I'm mad at him.  Non-football-wise, congratz to him! He's going to have children, and I'm happy he was able to too because of the drug. 

[Fx Stryker]

I'm confused...

[COLTS449]

I support Mathis no matter what. You have to have loyalty man. Robert is going to come back with a vengeance week 5. Colts Nation has love for 98!!!

[bestQBever]

I'll support him as long as he didn't take any PEDs.

If it's fertility drugs than that'd be awesome.

it's actually both. He took clomid which is mainly used as a fertility drug but can be used as a PED

[NewEra]

I'll support him as long as he didn't take any PEDs.

If it's fertility drugs than that'd be awesome.

I still support him even if he took PED's. What they refer to as PED's is flat out stupid. I work out all the time. Don't take anything at all that's illegal and would fail the NFL's PED test big time.

[James]

I'll support him as long as he didn't take any PEDs.

If it's fertility drugs than that'd be awesome.

Dude, clomid is either used both as fertiity drug OR as part of a steroid cycle. More specifically it's useful as a means of jump-starting testosterone production after a steroid cycle.

We dont know weather Robert is telling the truth or not, and we will never know since the league wont release any info. As a fan you're just gonna have to believe one of the two aforementioned possibilities.

[NewEra]

it's actually both. He took clomid which is mainly used as a fertility drug but can be used as a PED

You can get it still. But clomid is actually illegal to take without a script. There's other stuff you can take for the same thing. Totally legal but I bet you'd still fail the PED test.

[esmort]

There are no "male" infertility drugs.  Men take the same drugs the women take for fertility - clomid, HCG, etc.  Any athlete can go to a fertility specialist and say that they are trying to conceive a child and get these drugs.  Once they get caught then they pull the "we were trying to have a baby" card. 

 

I find it hard to believe that someone who has been in the league so long and has watched so many other players get busted for PEDs could make a mistake like this when a simple phone call to the NFLPA would have prevented this.

 

Maybe he knew the risk and did not call about the drug on purpose hoping that he could away with it if he did come up positive.  With that being said you can't blame him for doing what whatever it took to be able to have kids.  A 4 game suspension is a small price to pay if that is what it cost for him to have a kid. It sucks for the Colts, but I am sure he (and most any other person who wanted a family) would make the same choice again even knowing the outcome since it did result in a pregnancy.

[bestQBever]

You can get it still. But clomid is actually illegal to take without a script. There's other stuff you can take for the same thing. Totally legal but I bet you'd still fail the PED test.

yeah. I'm sure mathis has seen the viagra ads that play every other commercial. he should have used that.

[James]

And people... are you really that naive to think most NFL players arent juicing?

This is just one of many IF true.

[BpG]

Anyone who thinks he was using steroids is delusional. 

[bestQBever]

Now that I think about it, this doesn't really effect what we're gonna do the first 4 games. Of course we need to adjust but I really think that 3-1 was what we are gonna come out of that stretch with, with or without mathis. 

[Bravo]

Free Mathis

[NewEra]

Anyone who thinks he was using steroids is delusional.

Do you even know what clomid is? Or what it's used for? There's stuff that you can take, legally that you could take clomid for during your pct.

[lennymoore24]

I loved Rozelle.  I warmed up to Tagliabue.  But Goodell drives me crazy.  Seems his two passions in life is a witch hunt to suspend players and trying to milk more money any place he can.  I understand how players could try to work the system, but come on!!!  Mathis is an excellent role model.  Why do this to him and his career??  For having a child!!??!!!

[Boilermaker]

So Roger....remember when you destroyed the Spygate tapes? If you would destroy Robert's drug test results, and forget that this ever happened, I would take back everything I've ever said about you.

 

 

#FreeMathis #BurnDaEvidenceRoger #RobertStrong

[pgt_rob]

We support the leading sack champion Robert Mathis and his sack!

[peytonmanning18]

Now that I think about it, this doesn't really effect what we're gonna do the first 4 games. Of course we need to adjust but I really think that 3-1 was what we are gonna come out of that stretch with, with or without mathis. 

 

Not having Mathis in the lineup will AFFECT everything about the defense.  

[peytonmanning18]

I loved Rozelle.  I warmed up to Tagliabue.  But Goodell drives me crazy.  Seems his two passions in life is a witch hunt to suspend players and trying to milk more money any place he can.  I understand how players could try to work the system, but come on!!!  Mathis is an excellent role model.  Why do this to him and his career??  For having a child!!??!!!

 

No, because he took a banned substance.  He broke a rule (knowingly or unknowingly), and there are consequences.  Goodell is not singling out Mathis, he is doing his job.  Goodell is the best commissioner in sports.  

[ricker182]

I support him, but I think he should accept that it was his responsibility to know what he puts in his body. Don't put it on the doctor.

Robert, I'm happy that you and your wife are having a child. I'm disappointed in the suspension, but I continue to support you.

He did accept blame for not checking with the NFL and NFLPA.

[SOMDColtsfan]

Support Robert 100%, I really believe his reasons for taking. If he sacrificed 4 games to be able to be a father then so be it. Much bigger than football. Look forward to seeing #98 back out there in late September bringing the heat! 

[coltsfanej]

yeah. I'm sure mathis has seen the viagra ads that play every other commercial. he should have used that.

. Infertility not= to impotence

[coltsfanej]

#98

[ricker182]

We support you Robert. I fully believe your apology.

You've been nothing but classy to the organization and its fans.

You made a mistake but with good intentions. Congratulations on the pregnancy.

Brad Wells is a no good click bait writer.

Move on and get ready for week 5.

[deedub75]

Mathis is already a father.  He had a set of twins, Jason and Mason, in 2011.  So saying he spurned the banned substance rule to have a child just doesn't make sense. 

 

Clomid is a female fertility drug but it's written off label for men with low sperm counts.  The doctor apparently told Mathis to take Clomid to speed up the process because his wife had health problems and couldn't take it.  That doesn't make a bit a sense either.  "Robert, since your wife, who is a woman, can't take this female fertility drug, you, a man, take it instead so she can get pregnant faster."  That just doesn't sound right. 

 

Plus, Clomid is not a fast-acting drug in men.  It takes a couple of months to see those sperm counts rise.  If Mathis had a low sperm count and wanted to get the counts up fast, HCG would have been more appropriate but HCG would have definitely showed up on a drug test.  Heck, a man on HCG can take a pregnancy test and it will say he's pregnant.  HCG is just that easy to test for.  Clomid is a little harder to detect. 

 

I just hope when he comes back he's still the same player that he was last year.  If he indeed was cycling off of steroids using Clomid, we will see a dramatic drop off in his play.

[Dark_Indy]

I support Robert Mathis, and I honestly believe that the punishment was unjust. 

 

I've been slowly losing respect for Roger Goodell for a while. I honestly have to question if this is the type of punishment that would be handed down to a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady, or even a player in a higher profile area (Seattle). Didn't Richard Sherman get a successful appeal when he had drug issues? Yet they refuse to even consider Mathis' appeal? 

[TKnight24]

You all act like he's in jail or something

He's just suspended for 4 games people sheesh

[bestQBever]

Not having Mathis in the lineup will AFFECT everything about the defense.  

you just had to call the grammar police on me. Jokes aside i really have to study up on my effects and affects.

[Dark_Indy]

Clomid is a female fertility drug but it's written off label for men with low sperm counts.  The doctor apparently told Mathis to take Clomid to speed up the process because his wife had health problems and couldn't take it.  That doesn't make a bit a sense either.  "Robert, since your wife, who is a woman, can't take this female fertility drug, you, a man, take it instead so she can get pregnant faster."  That just doesn't sound right. 

 

Plus, Clomid is not a fast-acting drug in men.  It takes a couple of months to see those sperm counts rise.  If Mathis had a low sperm count and wanted to get the counts up fast, HCG would have been more appropriate but HCG would have definitely showed up on a drug test.  Heck, a man on HCG can take a pregnancy test and it will say he's pregnant.  HCG is just that easy to test for.  Clomid is a little harder to detect. 

 

As a disclaimer- I work in a pharmacy that specializes in BHRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and Clomiphene (Clomid) and HCG are both some of our biggest medications that we sell.

 

Clomiphene in men is used to replace and regulate testosterone levels (A drop off in testosterone can lead to erectile dysfunction, and also male infertility). This drug essentially kick-starts the male's testosterone production, and can have effects in less than 3 days, depending on the person. 

As for the substance abuse policy, there is nothing on the market in the United States that would not have broken the NFL's rules on Substance abuse- anything that deals with hormones is bound to be against the NFL's rules. 

 

So, why is this an unfair punishment? Well- Clomiphene does not directly link you to physical performance- it's not that type of drug, like steroids. 

 

1) He did not take the medication during the season or during off-season activities. 

2) If he did only take Clomiphene for 10 days, as he stated, there would be no effects other than the regulation of his testosterone production- something the human body is supposed to do anyway.

3) The medication would have been metabolized from his system (and the effects of it) far before the season would have began.

4) We're talking about a mid-30's player who has been the icon of the values the NFL wants to exemplify. I think at this point in his career, he deserves at least the benefit of the doubt.

 

Yes, he made a mistake in not contacting the NFL or the NFLPA. He was misinformed by a M.D. and should he be punished for the mistake? Absolutely. There are no free passes in the world and you have to be accountable- but at least let the punishment fit the crime. Fine the guy $100,000 or give him a one game suspension and let him get on with his life and job.

[deedub75]

As a disclaimer- I work in a pharmacy that specializes in BHRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and Clomiphene (Clomid) and HCG are both some of our biggest medications that we sell.

 

Clomiphene in men is used to replace and regulate testosterone levels (A drop off in testosterone can lead to erectile dysfunction, and also male infertility). This drug essentially kick-starts the male's testosterone production, and can have effects in less than 3 days, depending on the person. 

As for the substance abuse policy, there is nothing on the market in the United States that would not have broken the NFL's rules on Substance abuse- anything that deals with hormones is bound to be against the NFL's rules. 

 

So, why is this an unfair punishment? Well- Clomiphene does not directly link you to physical performance- it's not that type of drug, like steroids. 

 

1) He did not take the medication during the season or during off-season activities. 

2) If he did only take Clomiphene for 10 days, as he stated, there would be no effects other than the regulation of his testosterone production- something the human body is supposed to do anyway.

3) The medication would have been metabolized from his system (and the effects of it) far before the season would have began.

4) We're talking about a mid-30's player who has been the icon of the values the NFL wants to exemplify. I think at this point in his career, he deserves at least the benefit of the doubt.

 

Yes, he made a mistake in not contacting the NFL or the NFLPA. He was misinformed by a M.D. and should he be punished for the mistake? Absolutely. There are no free passes in the world and you have to be accountable- but at least let the punishment fit the crime. Fine the guy $100,000 or give him a one game suspension and let him get on with his life and job.

 

 

1)  He did take Clomid during the season.  The statement says he took it in November of last year.  Also, I've taken Clomid before for the same reasons he stated and my testosterone levels doubled after taking it a month. My doctor wanted me to take it indefinitely even after my wife got pregnant as replacement therapy.

2)  Men who are coming off a steroid cycle take Clomid at the end of the cycle and so 10 days would be about right. 

3)  See #1

4)  I like Mathis just like most of us on here but we don't know him personally so we really don't know his values.  Players his age who want to extend their careers may take drugs.  Doesn't make him a bad person. 

 

He deserves his punishment.  I'm sure he knew the Clomid was on the list of banned substances and if he didn't know he should have checked and ran his reasons through the NFLPA before he took it.  He knew what he was doing and he took the risk anyway.