The 2020 NFL regular season has seen a countless number of players miss game time due to either a standard injury or a COVID-19 related reason, but in the case of the Houston Texans star wide receiver (WR) Will Fuller V, his reason for missing the rest of the season is completely different.
Rewind to Thanksgiving Day when the Texans took on the Detroit Lions. Fuller had already enjoyed a pretty solid season, made even better by avoiding the injury bug that has plagued him in the past. By this point, Fuller had already notched four 100+ receiving yard games on the season, but on Thanksgiving, he set a new season-high, catching six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a decisive 41-25 victory for Houston.
Clearly, Fuller had established himself as Houston’s top WR in the absence of DeAndre Hopkins, who was shipped off to Arizona the offseason prior to this season. It seemed like the Texans might have another top-tier WR on their hands.
Unfortunately for the Texans and fantasy managers who rostered the WR (myself included), it was announced on a few days later on Nov. 30 that Fuller received a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s rules on performance-enhancing drugs. This ensures that Fuller will miss the remainder of the 2020 regular season and the first game of the 2021 regular season.
In the madness of COVID-19 tests and tracing, Fuller’s suspension is an oddity. This goes to show that even in a year like this, the NFL is policing their rules on PEDs.
Fuller’s season admittedly was already suspect enough. The talent was never a question, but Fuller is prone to injury. Fuller not missing a single game for twelve straight weeks (including a bye) is an outlier in his career. I think this could’ve potentially raised a red flag to the league, but even I’m not 100% what the league’s drug-testing policy is.
What I really want to touch on is Fuller’s response to the situation. In short, Fuller took to social media and explained that he was apparently misled by his medical staff that whatever substances he was taking was league-approved. Obviously they weren’t, and Fuller made sure this was known.
Granted, I’m not a professional athlete, much less an NFL player, but I think the player himself should shoulder some responsibility and take the initiative to ensure that whatever substance he’s taking is league-approved. It usually never hurts to second guess or get a second opinion. I believe Fuller was misled to an extent, but this shouldn’t absolve him of wrongdoing. In the eyes of the league and the public, this seems to be the consensus as well.
Hopefully Fuller comes back next season and can replicate those same numbers while not using PEDs. The Texans will really miss his presence on the field. This situation may call for the league to further educate players on PEDs and avenues they can take to double-check what they’re taking. Just a thought.
