Ware Agrees With Cushing Decision

Dallas Cowboys' linebacker DeMarcus Ware recently spoke to the Dallas Morning News concerning the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year re-vote that upheld Brian Cushing as the 2009 winner of the award, and said that, although he sees the need for stiff penalties for PED use, he agrees with the decision.

"You know what, I think when you're out there doing it [playing] the guy shouldn't get stripped of the award, but there should always be penalties," Ware said. "You should always be penalized because you're not doing the right thing. You're not going about doing things the right way. There's always things to do to get to where you need to be."

The decision will undoubtedly cast more doubt on the manner in which the NFL handles these situations, as opposed to Major League Baseball and the IOC. Whether or not the penalty is drastic enough isn't really the issue; rather, it represents a question of football culture. In baseball--a sport rooted in, and obsessed with the sanctity of numbers and history--a PED user is almost invariably made an outcast. In the NFL, the offense, the issue is forgotten quickly, and with little question.

Ah, but that's a larger issue for another time, and, in the most petty sense, Cushing's comings and goings (and alleged injections)are of no consequence to us. This is a Dallas Cowboys blog, and, according to the star of our defense, Ware, he hasn't so much as been tempted to use steroids.

"Never. I barely even a drink protein shake..." Ware said. "There's just other things, eating right. Just stay away from that stuff because at the end of the day it's going to ruin you and ruin your career. If you go back to the past with guys that used those types of things, how long are you going to live? That's the question."

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