Report: Walter Thurmond hit with four-game substance abuse suspension

AP

Another Seahawks cornerback is reportedly facing a four-game suspension from the league, but not for the same reasons as his teammates.

Unlike Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman, who had his suspension overturned on appeal, Walter Thurmond isn’t being disciplined for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Thurmond is going to be suspended for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse.

Per Rapoport, Thurmond will drop his appeal of the suspension early this week. That would mean that he’d miss Weeks 13-16 for the Seahawks, who are on their bye this week.

It’s tough timing for the Seahawks, who are already without Browner because of a groin injury. Browner is expected to miss a few more weeks and Thurmond had stepped up from his usual slot corner role to help the Seahawks cover for Browner’s absence. Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell will be pushed into expanded duty for the Seahawks with Browner and Thurmond out of the lineup.

57 responses to “Report: Walter Thurmond hit with four-game substance abuse suspension

  1. pretty stupid to comment that it’s cheating when it’s the substance abuse policy, not a performance enhancer. but don’t let that stop the hating mob.

    terrible timing though for the Hawks. and Thurmond probably just cost himself a ton of dough on his next contract. These four games were his chance to show he should be getting starter money. the game against N.O. just got that much tougher.

  2. Just makes me wonder…would the seahawks be as good as they appear to be without the cheating…? All you chest thumpers who continue to disrespect other rule-abiding organizations may want to tone it down a bit…at least until your team wins something of significance (cheating or not).

  3. A player gets suspended for non-PED substance abuse, and some people who post here feel the desperate need to expose their true intelligence by referencing “cheating”.

    BRAVO!

  4. People just can’t accept that the Seahawks are 10-1.

    The range of excuses:

    1.) Soft Schedule
    2.) They are just getting lucky
    3.) They cheat. (sorry, one test over the course of this year doesn’t prove a whole team cheats.)

  5. Did any of you trolling haters even read the article? The article clearly says he did NOT get suspended for breaking the performance-enhancing drug policy, and is getting suspended for substance abuse. He smoked some ganja people. The last time I smoked some ganja, the last thing i wanted to do was go out and play football.

  6. I love how NFL rules trump state law.

    Regardless, terrible mistake from Thurmond. This was a great chance for him to step in and legitimize himself with anyone that didn’t already realize this kid is a stud. He’ll be back in time for the playoffs, but missing the New Orleans game is not good.

  7. So if you twits actually READ the article , it said NON performance enhancing drugs ; substance of abuse . Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington state ( but obviously not in the league ) ; he probably tested positive for pot is my guess ..

    Last time I checked , being stoned didn’t enhance performance unless you’re playing Madden & eating Cheetos . Tell me again how he was “cheating” ?

  8. If the NFL were serious about drug testing procedures, half the Seahags would be ineligible to play for a year. This is one dirty team and for some reason they are getting away with bloody murder.

  9. If the NFL were serious about drug testers OVER half of the league including most stars on your own team wouldn’t be allowed to play. Stop playing ignorant. How bowe and aldon Smith get caught with drugs and don’t automatically get a suspension whether tested or not is beyond me.

    I don’t care all that much but most NFL players smoke, including Packers, Patriots, Niners, Saints, NYG, NYJ, Cowboys and obviously the league leading redskins . Throwing ped jokes about weed helps establish your fan bases ignorance

  10. for all the PED dopes:

    1.) It’s for weed, not a PED. Maybe you need adderall so you can pay attention.

    2.) Peyton Manning’s Broncos, and the Giants both have more PED suspensions in recent years than Seattle.

    Knowledge is power.

  11. First off, you trolling Seahawk haters are hilarious. Not for your comments though, but because you knock a guy as a PED cheater when the reality is, it was marijuana. Literacy rates must be low in much of this country. Second, don’t be scared. I know it’s hard to see a team rolling along at 10-1 with stoned players, maybe sober, your teams would never have a chance. So, embrace Walters affection for the purple Cush, suspensions are the only way any of your teams have a chance against Seattle. Of course, he is only one player. Most of the season Seattle hadn’t been at full strength and still just rolled along. Good luck with your uniformed comments, and, obvious Hatred of Carroll and Seattle, see you in February.
    Go Hawks!!!!

  12. Too funny, all the loser fans from other teams immediately yell PED… when the article specificallly says non PED.

    Reading comprehension for the win all….

  13. Pete Carroll is a cheating, conniving sob. He is a proven cheater and he screwed over an entire college program And let them clean up his crap. He fixes drug tests all the time

  14. In reality a good percentage of these guys are using PED’s. They are not caught as most of them are good at using masking agents or cleansers. HGH use is significant on all teams so it is ludicrous to point out one team being more of a cheat than the others

  15. As a Seahawks fan, this is really disappointing. Really, Thurmond? Were the recreational drugs worth the big hit your career just took? You had a chance to really step-up and show off your starting-quality CB skills in Browner’s absence but you blew it. How do you look your teammates in the eye knowing you just hurt the team in a critical stretch of games? Lane and Maxwell are studs and I hope they make the most of this great opportunity to step-up.

  16. Lets take a look at the Seahawks during the Pete Carroll era.

    Players suspended due to PEDS or drugs:
    1. Richard Sherman (PEDs – suspension later overturned because of a “chain of custody” of the evidence technicality;)
    2. John Moffitt (PEDs)
    3. Allen Barbre (PEDs)
    4. Winston Guy (PEDs)
    5. Brandon Browner (PEDs)
    6. Vai Taua (PEDs)
    7. Walter Thurmond (“substance abuse”)

    That’s seven that I can think of offhand. Am I missing any?

    Yea, that Pete Carroll really runs a strict, classy organization (sarcasm). He didn’t keep a tight rein on his players at USC, and he doesn’t keep a tight rein on them at Seattle either.

    That’s SEVEN players who have either doped or broken league “substance” rules.

    It’s just like back at USC, Pete didn’t care what the players did so long as they performed on the field. Pete isn’t really a “cheater”…he’s more the type of guy who just turns a blind eye so long as the team is winning.

    With the whole “turning a blind eye” thing in mind, Sean Payton got suspended for one year for “loss of institutional control.” At what point does the media or the league question Pete Carroll’s “institutional control”?

    Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a Saints fan so I’m gonna pull against the Seahawks naturally. BUT, I really hope that someone, whether it be us or someone else, blows these guys out.

    At the end of the day,if you want to accuse any team in the NFL of cheating, the Seahawks are the easiest target. 6 players using PEDs since 2011. For that reason, I hope they lose, and lose badly.

  17. If only the Seahawks were “above reproach” like my niners! Oh wait. Kidding but really doesn’t matter if the tree is legal in a lot of states there are lots of jobs where they don’t allow you to do it and test so that argument is lame. Obviously not a ped but it really doesn’t make it any better. Id say its worse, at least with peds you can make the argument that they are trying to help the team. Getting suspended for the recreational stuff during season is really just selfish. Then again if you read that Sam Heard article on MMQ this is certainly not the only team to have people smoking plants who shouldn’t be.

  18. goldrush36 says: “Welp there’s the built in excuse for when the Saints go in there and throttle them”

    Really? This coming from a fan of a certain 6-4 NFC West team who is still whining and moaning that the officials gave the Saints the game all while berating the same starting QB you once worshipped?

    Most delusional fans in the NFL.

  19. You’d think these guys would have better control and more discretion than to hurt their team at such a crucial time by smoking pot.

    That said, its disgusting to read all the cheap-shot comments here trashing the Seahawk coach and entire team because of ignorance due to a lack of reading and comprehension skills, or hate, or a combination of both.

  20. The people on this forum are retarded. You simply can’t understand facts about a specific topic. He got caught for weed. Not PEDs. Weed. And you still go with the “cheating” punchlines.

    Is smoking weed cheating? Does it enhance your ability to play corner?

    God, you are ALL idiots.

  21. Bad for the Hawks. Worse for Thurmond. Guy couldn’t stay healthy, but the Hawks kept him around believing in his potential. This year, he’s not only staying healthy, but he now has (had) an opportunity for a big spike in playing time.

    Then you go and screw it up with weed.

    For clarification: If you get hit with a positive for PEDs, you’re suspended. If you get hit with a substance abuse positive, you are then in the system and tested much more frequently. If, while in the program, you get another positive for substance abuse, then you’re suspended.

    #byeweekwoes

  22. That’s funny, I never knew that taking a substance which worsens your performance was considered cheating. I hope the majority of you idiots that have failed to understand what the substance abuse policy is, can at least be competent enough to sense the sarcasm within the first sentence. By the way, Thurmond most likely violated the policy with the use of marijuana (according to reports) which although is against NFL rules, it is legal within the state of Washington, and does contradict Thurmond’s protection of rights under state law.

  23. assuredmutualdestruction says: Nov 24, 2013 3:20 PM

    Love seeing the niner faithful back on a Seahawks thread…where you guys been?

    Watching insecure Seahawk trolls stalking Niner stories.

  24. HAHA yeah weed really helps you cheat at football. Its weed, not PEDs guys read the article again.

  25. @sportymorty22 I hear where you’re coming from but when you work for a company (NFL) and they have a policy which you agree to (contract), it doesn’t matter if the state says its legal. The company you work for doesn’t allow it. He’s not getting in legal trouble, just job trouble.

  26. @genericuser8888 Why don’t you list the amount of mins on the field those players had. 3 of them didn’t even play.

    Some food for thought, number of players in 2010-2013 PED suspensions in NFL:

    Seahawks -5 (And all have been for adderall, which they used for memory, not a physical PED incase some of you didn’t know that.)

    BRONCOS-4
    GIANTS-4
    PATS-3

    No one talks about those teams. Hmmm

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