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Press
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05/12/2010
Cushing keeps AP Defensive Rookie award
BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing won a revote Wednesday to keep The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, despite his positive drug test.
The second vote was taken after the league suspended Cushing without pay for four games last week for violating the NFL's drug policy. Although Cushing said he took a non-steroid substance, the league still considers it a performance-enhancer.
The AP decided to have a revote, with a Wednesday noon deadline.
That revote gave Cushing 18 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd received 13 votes, and Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews III got 12. Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo earned three votes, and St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis got one.
"I was just glad to hear the news, that people stuck by me. Very honored," Cushing said. "I'm very happy to have the award once again, and I'm just happy with how everything turned out."
One voter was not available to cast a ballot, and two voters abstained. In all, 19 voters switched from Cushing to another player, and one voted for Cushing after picking Byrd originally.
In the original balloting in January, Cushing received 39 votes to six for Byrd, three for Matthews and two for Orakpo.
"I'm good," Byrd said, referring to the result. "Yeah, I'm fine with it."
Cushing did lose his spot on the All-Pro second team, for which he originally had five votes and now has just one.
"If I had known in January when we initially voted that Brian Cushing had tested positive for a banned substance, I might not have voted for him," said Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and president of the Pro Football Writers of America. "However, Cushing won the award in January, and I don't feel like we should revise history. I am concerned about the precedent."
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle voted for Cushing the first time and had "no problem" voting for him again.
"In good conscience, I couldn't not vote for him after voting for Julius Peppers in 2002 knowing he'd tested positive (and won the same award), and for Kevin Williams on the All-Pro team knowing he'd tested positive (in the StarCaps case).
"I also believe taking the award from Cushing would have opened up a Pandora's box when it came to players and awards. I think the AP should make it a rule that a player who tests positive is going to be subjected to a revote."
A person familiar with Cushing's case told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Cushing tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL's banned substance list. The person said Cushing had one positive test last September, then subsequently tested negative several times. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the test results were supposed to remain confidential.
Cushing is suspended without pay until Oct. 4, although he can participate in offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games. He will not be eligible for next season's Pro Bowl — he made the AFC team last January, but did not play, citing several injuries — or any NFL-sponsored awards.
"A player who tests positive for a performance-enhancing drug, especially a masking agent for steroids, should not be honored with a prestigious award," said Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio and foxsports.com, who also votes. "He failed the test in September. His season is tainted. This is wrong.
"I am very disappointed in the results of the revote and my fellow voters who voted for Cushing."
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Associated Press sports writers John Wawrow in Buffalo and Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.
AP NFL Defensive Rookie Voter Breakdown
By The Associated Press
New selection in parentheses
KEPT BRIAN CUSHING (17)
Don Banks, Sports Illustrated.com
Bob Berger, Sporting News Radio
Chris Berman, ESPN
Steve Cohen, Sirius Satellite Radio
Frank Cooney, SportsXChange
Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Tom Curran, Comcast Sportsnet
Vinny Ditrani, The Record
Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News
Paul Gutierrez, Sacramento Bee
Clark Judge, CBSSports.com
John McClain, Houston Chronicle
Gary Myers, New York Daily News
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times
Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com
Adam Teicher, Kansas City Star
Charean Williams Fort Worth Star-Telegram
KEPT JAIRUS BYRD (4)
Brian Allee-Walsh, New Orleans.com
Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Ashley Fox, Philadelphia Inquirer
Armando Salguero, Miami Herald
KEPT CLAY MATTHEWS (3)
Jim Corbett, USA Today
Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
CHANGED TO BRIAN CUSHING (1)
Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Jairus Byrd)
CHANGED FROM BRIAN CUSHING (19)
Jarrett Bell, USA Today (Jairus Byrd)
Clifton Brown, The Sporting News (Jairus Byrd)
Rich Cimini, New York Daily News (Clay Matthews)
John Clayton, ESPN The Magazine (Clay Matthews)
Bob Costas, HBO/NBC Sports (Clay Matthews)
John Czarnecki, Fox Sports (Brian Orakpo)
Boomer Esiason, CBS/Westwood One (Jairus Byrd)
Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News (Jairus Byrd)
Nancy Gay, AOL Fanhouse (Jairus Byrd)
Bob Glauber, Newsday (Jairus Byrd)
Dave Goldberg, AOL Fanhouse (Clay Matthews)
Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune (Jairus Byrd)
Peter King, Sports Illustrated (Clay Matthews)
Matt Maiocco, Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Clay Matthews)
Alex Marvez, Foxsports.com (Jairus Byrd)
Pat McManamon, Akron Beacon Journal (Jairus Byrd)
Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune (Clay Matthews)
Adam Schein, Sirius NFL Radio (Brian Orakpo)
Frank Schwab, Colorado Springs Gazette (Clay Matthews)
ABSTAINED (2)
Chris Mortensen, ESPN
Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Note: Both had Cushing in the original balloting.
CHANGED FROM JAIRUS BYRD (2)
Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Brian Cushing)
David Elfin, Washington Times (Brian Orakpo)
CHANGED FROM BRIAN ORAKPO (2)
Howard Balzer, Fox Sports Net (James Laurinaitis)
Len Shapiro, Miami Herald (Clay Matthews)
NOT AVAILABLE (1)
Howie Long, Fox Sports
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