NFL just shrugs at having a doper for poster boy
New England’s Julian Edelman was Super Bowl hero despite his ‘dark’ past, writes Daniel Schofield
Punishments for drugs are so lightweight and stigma is non-existent
Julian Edelman was the perfect candidate to be named Most Valuable Player in the New England Patriots’ 13-3 Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, not just for his individual performance but for filling the against-the-odds narrative so beloved by the American public.
Like his celebrated team-mate, quarterback Tom Brady, Edelman was drafted in the later rounds by the Patriots (Brady was the 199th overall pick; Edelman the 232nd). For years, the wide receiver played just a bit-part role for the Patriots, often filling in on special teams and even defence.
In his first four seasons, he caught only 69 passes for four touchdowns. But the more opportunities he received the better he performed, as he slowly morphed into Brady’s favourite target. That was demonstrated perfectly against the Rams as Edelman hauled in 10 catches, eight of which resulted in first downs, for 141 yards, which swung a defence-dominated contest the Patriots’ way.
As wide receivers go, Edelman is not the biggest, fastest or most skilful, but he has risen to the top through perseverance, hard work – and, it appears, with a helping hand from performanceenhancing drugs.
Understandably, the NFL was less keen to promote that part of the back story as its commissioner Roger Goodell presented the MVP trophy to Edelman.
“Well deserved. Extraordinary performance, and not just last night, but his performance in postseason has been simply off the charts,” Goodell said on stage. “Julian, congratulations. Come on up and get your trophy.”
Last summer, it was announced that Edelman had contravened the NFL’S policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Under the World Anti-doping Code, to which the NFL is not a signatory, any Olympic athlete caught cheating faces a minimum four-year ban, while even those guilty of “inadvertent doping” will receive a two-year ban. Edelman’s punishment? A four-game ban, served at the start of the season, which is less a slap on the wrist than an admonishing wag of the finger.
Rather than being a pariah, Edelman was integrated straight back into the Patriots locker room, the incident forgotten like a speeding ticket. Remember, quarterback Colin Kaepernick still cannot get a contract, having protested against racial injustice.
What drug Edelman had in his system and in what quantity has never been disclosed, although he was just returning from a season out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. At the time of the ban, Edelman issued one of those classic non-apologies, claiming it was a mistake while also saying sorry for his absence. For this he was praised for “taking responsibility”. Since then the incident has been referred to as a “dark time”, as if he was going through a bereavement.
As Nancy Armour, writing in USA Today, points out, in baseball a performance-enhancing drug ban automatically includes all post-season fixtures, while Barry Bonds, the sport’s greatest player on paper, remains banned from its hall of fame for past doping offences.
Instead, the NFL’S reaction has been to shrug its shoulders at the sight of a doper being its poster boy. Nor is this the first time this scenario has occurred. Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, who was crowned the 2016 Super Bowl MVP, was previously suspended for six games after being caught trying to switch urine samples.
If you frame the decision to dope as a straight up risk-reward scenario then it may appear that the rewards far outweigh the risks. From PED to MVP. If you were a young player straight out of college, why would you not take a shortcut to being stronger, faster and fitter if the punishments are so lightweight and the stigma non-existent?
There is no doubt that Edelman’s performance merited the MVP award, but when Goodell passed the trophy to Edelman, he was also holding up a mirror to his own appalling failings in tackling doping.