A response to MJD's Point: Shawne Merriman Belongs in the Pro Bowl When he's on the field, Shawne Merriman has probably been the league's best defensive player this year. He's a rare combination of speed, strength and size. Athletes who weigh 270 pounds just shouldn't be able to do the things he does.
And that's the point. Now that he's tested positive for steroids, we have no way of knowing whether Merriman is a Pro Bowl-quality player when abiding by the rules. He might be or he might not be. Until Merriman can show that he's a Pro Bowl player without steroids, there's no reason he should be honored as one of the best in the game.
There's also the little matter of the lack of productivity thanks to his suspension. Merriman missed four games, and Pro Bowl voting concluded after the 13th game of the season. Anyone who voted for Merriman was voting not just for a cheater but also for a player who missed more than 30 percent of his team's games.
I don't want to see every good player in the NFL under a cloud of suspicion, the way so many Major League Baseball players are. And I don't think his steroid suspension needs to be a black mark on the rest of Merriman's career. If he has a long and honorable career and never runs afoul of the league's performance-enhancing substance rules again, I could see voting for him for the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day. But the Pro Bowl is an honor for one season, and this season Merriman wasn't playing cleanly. He shouldn't be rewarded for it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-19-2006 @ 11:16PM
Mario said...
no way merriman belongs to the probowl espically the season he got caught using steriods...you just know if it was randy moss or warren sapp that wouldnt fly with the NFL..lets be fair about this ..in other words there saying its ok to use steriods but does that mean he can go into the hall of fame also if he keeps using it...we all know merriman isnt the same player that he was at the beggining of the season when he wasnt caught yet...i think the NFL is giving chargers to many breaks this year..the fumle forwrd pass play vs the raiders remebr that? then the blocked punt that thwe chiefs did on them but they gave san diego the ball anyway saying it was a fumble ? this is truly getting out of hand i hope someone speaks up about this garbage..
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12-20-2006 @ 1:02AM
Adam said...
GO CHARGERS!!!
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12-20-2006 @ 12:54AM
mel said...
Wow, talk about a sore loser! (Mario!)
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12-20-2006 @ 2:29AM
trueword said...
Anyone who voted for merriman should be shot.
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12-20-2006 @ 2:54AM
CD said...
The NFL appears to be trying to emulate Major League Baseball's example in many aspects. MLB's standards for inclusion into the 'Hall of Shame' tells kids it's okay if you get busted for drugs time and time again, or get arrested for being drunk in public, even go home and beat your wife -- if you have a good statistical career, you're in the 'Hall of Shame.' Anything is acceptable so long as you don't gamble!
With these kind of standards, what's the big deal about a little steroid use? If you can be an 'All-Star' in MLB [even the NBA], why should it stop a player from being named to the NFL All-Pro Team?
Standards? Where???
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12-20-2006 @ 5:01AM
vicki said...
He tested positive for a parental steriod, which means it was not ingested. He then blamed a supplement company and said he would sue. Well, I haven't heard any lawsuits announced. This guy is a cheater, plain and simple he was caught. In life if you get busted for breaking the law you pay the price. In primadonna sports, you get elected to the pro bowl. The chargers have cheaters, thugs and a coach said to not be tolerant of such things leading the way.
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12-20-2006 @ 8:26AM
BIG RICHIE said...
MERRIMAN IS A CHEAT AND A BUM!!!!!!!
JUICEHEAD!!!!!
HE TRIES TO COMPARE HIMSELF TO LAWRENCE TAYLOR, NOT EVEN CLOSE, LT IS THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER EVER!!!
TRADE IN THE NEEDLES FOR SOME COMMON SENSE.
GET HIM OFF THE PRO BOWL TEAM!!!
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12-20-2006 @ 10:02AM
Stroh101 said...
Merriman is a fine player in his own right and should be a pro bowler for years to come. However, I don't think he should be included this year.
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12-20-2006 @ 3:24PM
gordyvol said...
Merriman is a cheater and a liar. Making the pro bowl is an absolute joke. If you cheat in other sports, you don't get rewarded. He will never live this down because he lied!
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12-22-2006 @ 1:48AM
mel said...
If you actually did your research, (vicki) you would know that Merriman did want to file a lawsuit because he protested that did not know the enhancements were in his vitamens. However, filling the lawsuit would have taken more than 4 weeks and he would have missed the most critical part of the season, (the last few games and playoffs), if he contested. Not only did the coaching staff and fans encouraged him to just do the suspension, guilty or not, many commentators suggested the same thing. With took the blame for the sake of his team.
Being a sore loser doesn't get you anywhere
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12-24-2006 @ 12:44PM
Gabe Stein said...
I've got to say that regardless of the moral issue here, the punishment is stupid. Yeah, people like being recognized as a pro-bowler, but nobody actually wants to play in the pro bowl. I don't think the punishment would do anything to deter steroid users.
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12-28-2006 @ 5:39AM
John said...
Shawne Merriman is the leagues scariest defender without steroids. I don't doubt that the guy made a stupid mistake, but lets put things in perspective...He's was only 22 years old!!! People seem to forget that a 23 year old rookie by the name of Julius Peppers would caught and punished for violating the steroid policy as well, and all was forgotten. Peppers is a freak and doesn;t need steroids, and this 22 year old Merriman is even better. We live in a 2nd chance society. The guy made a mistake EARLY in his career, he should be given a 2nd chance. Lets appreciate what we're witnessing as we watch him mature both on and off the field.
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12-28-2006 @ 10:42PM
J joe said...
Gabe is right give him a second chance. Also this is unheard of that Merriman is even close to being defensive player of the year in only his second year in the league.
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