What happens in Vegas apparently doesn’t always stay in Vegas.
A league source tells PFT that the locker-room scuttlebutt in Cleveland is that cornerback Joe Haden tested positive for Adderall after taking the ADD medication as a “pick-me-up” during an offseason visit to Las Vegas.
This implies that Haden didn’t have a prescription for Adderall. It also implies that luck was anything but a lady for Haden, if it’s something he only took once.
The policy regarding anabolic steroids and related substances entails year-round random testing for all players, and Haden necessarily drew the short straw while the substance was still in his system.
If Haden had a prescription, he possibly could avoid a suspension. (“Possibly” is the key word because the league has been inconsistent with the imposition of suspensions on players who tested positive for Adderall while taking it with a prescription.)
Of course, the deeper question is whether offseason use of Adderall or any other stimulant should be prohibited. It can’t enhance performance if there’s no performance to enhance, and it’s not the kind of substance that helps a player artificially build muscle mass in anticipation of future performance.
Because Haden’s period for filing an appeal have not yet commenced, he could avoid a suspension for most if not all of the 2012 season. The NFL’s in-house appeals often require months to be processed; news of Haden’s positive test was leaked very early in the cycle.