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Suspended Saints
12/03/08 - 10:08 PM
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METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Scott Fujita worried aloud that his opinion
about the suspensions of New Orleans Saints teammates Deuce
McAllister and Will Smith could get him fined by the NFL.
The linebacker couldn’t hold his tongue for long, however.
“I don’t know how much of an opinion we’re even allowed to have
anymore when it comes to NFL issues, but obviously I completely
disagree with it. I think it’s stupid. I think it’s wrong. I’m not
surprised, though, in the least bit,” Fujita said Wednesday. “The
league says they look at the steroid policy every year in the
offseason. This is one of those years when there’s going to be a
lot of pressure on them to look at it closely because it’s just not
right.”
McAllister, Smith and Saints defensive end Charles Grant, who
already was out for the year with an injury, were among six NFL
players suspended for the final four games of the season under the
league’s steroid policy. The players were not alleged to have used
steroids. They tested positive for the diuretic Bumetanide, which
is banned because it could potentially mask the use of steroids.
The players appealed, saying the dietary supplement they used,
StarCaps, did not list the banned substance as an ingredient.
McAllister also said he had consulted an NFL hotline set up to
advise players on whether certain dietary supplements are permitted
and was never told of the potential problem with StarCaps.
The suspensions mark yet another setback for the Saints, who’ve
had more than a dozen season-ending injuries and now must deal with
the loss of their starting defensive end in Smith, and the club’s
career rushing and touchdown leader in McAllister.
Smith’s suspension brings the number of starting defensive
players lost for the season to four, including both cornerbacks
(Mike McKenzie and Tracy Porter) and both defensive ends, including
Grant.
Grant (torn triceps) will be able to serve his suspension while
on injured reserve, but won’t be paid for the last month of the
season.
The timing of the suspensions couldn’t be much worse for New
Orleans, which at 6-6 sits in last place in the NFC South and
likely must run the table to sneak into the playoffs. To fill the
two roster spots opened up by the suspensions, New Orleans signed
defensive end Rob Ninkovic from Miami’s practice squad and
free-agent safety Terrence Holt, who spent a couple weeks with
Chicago but has yet to see action this season.
Fullback Mike Karney, who has been blocking for McAllister since
2004, said he was devastated when he learned of the suspensions
Tuesday evening.
“It’s been tough to take all the injuries as a whole the entire
year for everybody, but to have this, it hurts,” Karney said.
Karney said he also hated to see undue harm done to the
reputation of players like McAllister, who is widely admired not
just as a football player but also as a businessman and
philanthropist throughout Louisiana and his home state of
Mississippi. McAllister was walking into a charity event for
children in Mississippi when the league announced the suspensions.
“In my opinion, something’s got to be done with this policy,
because you look at a guy like Deuce, last night he’s doing a
charity function and he’s got to take these questions and now he’s
going to have to tell these kids about the situation, because now
everyone thinks he was masking something - a steroid - but he
wasn’t,” Karney said. “None of these guys were, and that hurts
people’s reputation and credibility.”
Karney said he sent McAllister “a pretty long and emotional
text just to tell him I’m here for him and appreciated everything
he’s done, because no one knows what the future holds for him
here.”
McAllister, who turns 30 this month, has had reconstructive
surgery on both knees. Because of the way his salary is currently
structured, keeping him next season would cost the Saints about
$7.3 million against the salary cap.
McAllister’s role with the Saints has diminished markedly since
2006, when he had his fourth 1,000-yard season and helped the
Saints advance to the NFC championship game. Although he continues
to produce when called upon, he had only three carries for 13 yards
in the Saints’ loss at Tampa Bay on Sunday.
McAllister said he intends to remain in the New Orleans area
while suspended to follow through on charitable holiday season
commitments, including one on Thursday.
McAllister also noted that he and Smith could return for the
playoffs should the Saints rally to make it that far. But if they
don’t, the running back said he has no intention of retiring after
this season and did not want Saints fans to necessarily think of
his suspension as, “Goodbye.”
“You never know what’s going to happen down the road,” he said
by phone to The Associated Press. “I don’t want anybody to start
speculating as far as next year, what’s going to happen as far as
salary, et cetera. And if we make the playoffs, then you’ll
definitely see me there.”

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