OT - Max Bullough questioned at combine

Submitted by TheNema on

Dave Birkett ‏@davebirkett  40m

Asked specifically if he failed a drug test, as is the rumor, Bullough declined to answer

Josh Katzenstein ‏@jkatzenstein  25m

Michigan State LB Max Bullough said he weighed in at 249, down from 265 at the East-West Shrine game.

 

Between the buzz that every NFL team knows that this the Rose Bowl suspension was a result of a failed drug test and the drastic weight loss in a month and a half, the picture is starting to become clearer.

LSAClassOf2000

February 22nd, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^

Paula Pasche had what appears to be part of the interview up here. The audio is a bit rough, but it seems like he claims to have told NFL teams about it, which he claims is "a different matter", whatever that means. Tout videos loop, I believe, so watch the first one only....

LordGrantham

February 22nd, 2014 at 4:18 PM ^

16 pounds in that short of a time span certainly indicates something other than lower calorie consumption.

Raback Omaba

February 22nd, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^

And the program caught it before the leaugue did, which allowed them to suspend him without having to dilvulge the reason.

This is the only logical explanation - If it were a crime he committed, I could only see Dantonio suspending him for something serious when there's a Rose Bowl at stake. There was no documentation of any criminal matter anywhere, so it doesnt appear that a crime was committed.

If Dantonio would've allowed him to play after a failed PED test, or if the league caught it, then the team and program's reputation would've been questioned. Suspending him was necessary and was the right thing to do.

andrewG

February 23rd, 2014 at 10:39 AM ^

disagree. i hiked the JMT last summer and lost between 15 and 20 pounds over exactly 3 weeks. when you're hiking ~12 miles a day with 40 lbs on your back at high elevation with significant eleveation gains and losses every day, you simply cannot take in (or carry!) enough calories to maintain weight.

and i wasn't exactly a big dude to start with or anything. starting at 5'9" 170lbs, losing that much weight represents a pretty significant percentage.

johnthesavage

February 22nd, 2014 at 5:12 PM ^

Lost in the most recent baseball PED thing was the fact that all of these guys had been passing every MLB drug test all along. MLB came down hard on them but I think it was a lot of show to cover for the fact that they couldn't detect them at all without a whistle-blower. Max just needs to get on a better program..

Haywood Jablomy

February 22nd, 2014 at 5:32 PM ^

Failed drug test folloed by immediately by a loss of 16lbs. doesn't necessarily equate to PED use. He could have been smoking dope, stopped when he got caught and no longer had the munchies.  

The Denarding

February 22nd, 2014 at 5:34 PM ^

I asked this question before and the answer I got was Dennard. But what defensive players from MSU have gone on to be stars in the NFL since dantonio started as a coach there? We talk about talent development but that talent isn't in the NFL necessarily. Our defenses were miserable and we still put out Stevie brown, and mike Martin. I just find that odd but I might be missing someone obvious.

If it was academic it would have been announced, if it was an arrest it would be known and if it is conduct it would be under conduct detrimental. The level of cloak and dagger is weird. Even if it was drugs you can say conduct unbecoming. It's just odd...and frankly unnecessary. They find out at the combine and it will be known. The only reason has to be program facing which makes all of us more curious than we need be.

Saying all that - MSU has a great defense and I'm pretty sure that it's not because they are ALL cycling andresteinedione.

readyourguard

February 22nd, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^

There is no greater weight loss inducer than stress.  Bullough was captain of the best Spartan team in forever, a renowned All-America LB, the face of Spartan football for 3 years, and 3rd generation legacy.  Pissing that all away by embarrassing the school and himself, putting his team's image in jeopardy, and likely costing himself a few bucks in the draft probably brought on a hefty dose of stress.

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

February 23rd, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^

opens the door for "why" (that could be PEDs) and "how" (then he has to address the source). Then he could be asked about cycling PEDs and long term use.

Oxy seems like a safer answer than PEDs, until the subsequent questions. Then he could be in the scenario of admitting Oxy and PEDs.

A good PR person would still tell him to come clean and put it behind him.

The Denarding

February 23rd, 2014 at 1:57 AM ^

Wait the big ten doesn't UDT for controlled substances? That's impossible. If it was oxy, adderall etc that would be public knowledge because he would be suspended by the league right? Oxy is a level 2 narcotic - if he is taking it without a script from a physician that's not kosher and in many states illegal. If it is a script from a doc then no need to suspend him.

The Denarding

February 23rd, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^

Am I right on that Read your Guard? If it's OxyContin and the kid doesn't have a script the police get involved. In a lot of states there is a PDP that has to be registered.

To me oxy in a random screen would be a huge flag to get the kid help like we did for stonum. The odds of only short term use being picked up on a screen especially oxy that needs a confirmatory sample is low. If they had genuine concern he would be in a program - which is really hard to keep a secret because it's not institutional.

mGrowOld

February 22nd, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^

Knowing nothing other than the posting history of Read your Guard I believe him.  He's not one to post rumor and innuendo unless it's extremely well sourced rumor and innuendo.

Serioulsy though I dont think I've ever read a rumor posted by RYG so that's good enough for me.  And his take on stress related weight loss is extremely accurate too.  More so than a missed cycle of roids causing that extreme of weight loss.  Because the flip side to weight loss when under stress is weight gain and I'm pretty sure max didnt play this season as heavy as he weighed in at during the Shriine game.

 

clarkiefromcanada

February 22nd, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^

Stress induced weight loss is certainly a possibility as could be a desire to dial in with "good weight" for the combine to perform for the NFL.



The steroid thesis is absolutely viable though. As one who works in physical science and research I'd be confident that his sort of weight loss could certainly occur with cycles cut since December. In that time framed his muscle mass would slowly start to decrease (every day each of us are either adding or subtracting) without the PED and at his size 6-7% in 8 weeks is reasonable.



Guy should man up and answer the question but aim sure he doesn't want the world to know that team were " Spartan Frauds" like the Mandarich era.

Moisturize

February 22nd, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^

much of the conjecture in this thread, at least with respect to PED's and some other illicit substances, is that the B10 did, in fact, test everyone on the travelling roster for the B10 Title game (including Bullough)...That was how Spence got his 3-game suspension for, as he essentially put it, "getting slipped a micky!"

 

 

Coldwater

February 22nd, 2014 at 6:49 PM ^

What a coward. He's hiding behind the line "it's a personal issue, I'm moving on"



Who is giving this dunce advice? Certainly not anyone smart. So now he's letting other people control his life instead of him standing up, explaining himself fully, then all is forgiven, let's move on.



Why is this sooooo top seceret? It's not something criminal or else there would be a police investigation. So just come clean one time and try to get your reputation back.