Bears WR Brandon Marshall: NFL Players Use Viagra For Competitive Edge

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 29, 2012 3:25PM

Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall has charmed the Windy City with his performance on the field and his candor away from it. Marshall met with the Bears media pool Wednesday when he was asked about a recent string of football players suspended by the NFL after they tested positive for Adderall.

Marshall, after having how Adderall worked explained to him, volunteered this little bit of information.

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Now before we start with jokes about NFL players “laying wood” on each other while running around the field with boners, let’s look at how Viagra works. It blocks the chemical PDE5, which is responsible for relaxing the muscles in the penis and allowing blood flow to maintain an erection. Apparently some football players believe that increased blood flow extended beyond their wangs to other parts of their bodies.

Yet a 2008 study by the World Anti-Doping Agency showed there was insufficient evidence Viagra provided a competitive edge to athletes. So in this case the “little blue pill” may be nothing more than a placebo.

The Adderall suspensions are another matter. A dozen players have received suspensions this season after testing positive for the drug. The latest, Tampa Bay’s Eric Wright, saw his suspension upheld on appeal. But there may even be questions about whether these players are testing positive for the drug commonly used to treat attention deficit disorder. Under the current collective bargaining agreement the NFL can announce a suspension when a player violates the league’s drug policy, but can’t reveal the drug they found. So it’s possible some of these players are saying they tested positive for Adderall as a cover for something else.

Marshall's statements, while they weren't an indictment on anyone, it did peel the curtain back on the lengths some NFL players will go to win.