Reports began surfacing that Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom could be facing a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance policy. While several fans quickly condemned Odom as guilty without caring for any more substantial facts, Odom pleaded to the fans and his teammates to have faith and patience.
For the most part, there's been no indication that the banned substance Odom tested positive for was any form of growth enhancement drugs. As one of our readers pointed out Friday night, NFL.com's Steve Wyche reports that the "banned element contained in a prescribed medication."
Odom is eligible to play this week, considering the issue is still in the appeals process. And there's a good chance that Odom may not be suspended at all.
There is a provision in the NFL’s banned substance policy that allows players to take prescription medicines that could contain banned substances or elements of a banned substance.
The bigger question is who leaked the information, which should never be made public during the appeals process. Perhaps a member of the organization spilled the beans to an upstart website run by a friend to give them notoriety even though they claimed to be a fan of the Bengals and Reds, quickly allowing the Bengals community to not only feel embarrassed, but actively igniting a witch hunt against one of their own when in fact, the league may not not even suspend Odom.