Luis Castillo Admits Steroid use

[CardinalLaw]

Walker says Castillo was steroid-free in college

By Chris Mortensen
ESPN



Northwestern defensive tackle Luis Castillo acknowledged in a letter to all 32 NFL teams that he took steroids following the 2004 season.

League sources said Castillo tested positive for steroids at the Indianapolis scouting combine in late February.

In his letter, Castillo told teams that he was frustrated that an elbow injury wasn't healing properly, and he turned to steroids in order to perform better at the combine.

His coach, Randy Walker, also sent a letter to the teams, stating that Castillo never tested positive for steroids while at Northwestern, providing the teams with Castillo's drug testing history.

Scouts, Inc., had rated Castillo to be drafted in the mid-to-late vicinity of the second round.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft05/news/story?id=2036420





Man he screwed up his draft rankings pretty bad. I saw some mention of him on here.

 

[Russ Smith]

Another dummy, with all the attention steroid use is getting, did he think he wouldn't be caught?

 

[Lagerfilled]

Dummy, YES... by all means (for getting caught)! However Russ, have you ever played big-time sports professionally or at the collegiate level (Div 1)? If so, than I'd like to hear all about the alternatives you use(d) for healing quickly (aside from proper rest, nutrition, supplements, pain killers, etc). If not, than let's cool it on these kids. He was trying to impress scouts/teams, as well as ensure a bigger payday for his services as a pro. He had only one chance and he blew it. What he should be concerned w/ are the numerous health related issue linked w/ steriod use, as well as its legality of it. That's where the real indictment should lay!

 

[Russ Smith]

Dummy, YES... by all means (for getting caught)! However Russ, have you ever played big-time sports professionally or at the collegiate level (Div 1)? If so, than I'd like to hear all about the alternatives you use(d) for healing quickly (aside from proper rest, nutrition, supplements, pain killers, etc). If not, than let's cool it on these kids. He was trying to impress scouts/teams, as well as ensure a bigger payday for his services as a pro. He had only one chance and he blew it. What he should be concerned w/ are the numerous health related issue linked w/ steriod use, as well as its legality of it. That's where the real indictment should lay!

I don't know the kid but I'm skeptical in this day and age when someone says I only used it to heal quicker from injury.

It's like how every player who tests positive for pot says it was 2nd hand smoke, I'm betting Hawthorne will claim that too they all do. And every DUI case the person claims they had only "2 drinks." Castillo may in fact be telling the truth but my BS meter says that the reason he had such a great combine workout and moved himself up, was he was using steroids to prepare for it.

If he truly had an elbow problem he could have told scouts that, let it heal, and then proved in a private workout that he was healed. That's precisely what Calvin Pace did when he went through this, his broken leg wasn't fully healed at the combine, he worked out as he could, told scouts, stock fell, then he rehabbed, held a private workout, did well, and moved back up the draft boards.

I fully realize he's likely not the only kid there who took steroids and if he took them to heal from an injury isn't it possible he obtained them legally from a doctor?

 

[Rocco]

I don't know the kid but I'm skeptical in this day and age when someone says I only used it to heal quicker from injury.

It's like how every player who tests positive for pot says it was 2nd hand smoke, I'm betting Hawthorne will claim that too they all do. And every DUI case the person claims they had only "2 drinks." Castillo may in fact be telling the truth but my BS meter says that the reason he had such a great combine workout and moved himself up, was he was using steroids to prepare for it.

If he truly had an elbow problem he could have told scouts that, let it heal, and then proved in a private workout that he was healed. That's precisely what Calvin Pace did when he went through this, his broken leg wasn't fully healed at the combine, he worked out as he could, told scouts, stock fell, then he rehabbed, held a private workout, did well, and moved back up the draft boards.

I fully realize he's likely not the only kid there who took steroids and if he took them to heal from an injury isn't it possible he obtained them legally from a doctor?

Castillo refused to bench press at the combine and at his pro day. The elbow explains why.

 

[Russ Smith]

Castillo refused to bench press at the combine and at his pro day. The elbow explains why.

From ESPN's Insider Scouting reports.

"Castillo was a very productive, disciplined and consistent player at Northwestern but it took his exceptional showing at the combine to prove that he also is athletic enough to translate that production to the NFL. The 303-pound DT/NT prospect was the fastest at his position with two impressive 40-yard dash times of 4.86 and 4.85. He also showed excellent feet during his position drills, posted an impressive 35 reps on the 225-pound bench press and had the second-best vertical jump (35.5") of the DT/NT group."

NFL draft scout said he did 32 reps and ran a 4.79 and got a 37 on his wonderlic(not a dummy I guess).

Everything I can find says he lifted.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

imagine how many reps he'd do with a healthy elbow .I'm guessing the ony reason he admitted it was that he got caught.Like Russ, i'm very skeptical of his "coming clean".

 

[joeshmo]

Mort was ESPN this morning and said he has already talked to a few teams about how this effects Castillos draft ranking on their boards and all of them said it has no or very little barring on his grade to them.

 

[Russ Smith]

Mort was ESPN this morning and said he has already talked to a few teams about how this effects Castillos draft ranking on their boards and all of them said it has no or very little barring on his grade to them.

That makes no sense because Castillo moved UP the board after his workout. NOw that they know he was using steroids pre workout you'd assume teams would wonder is he going to be that strong and that fast in the NFL without steroids?

I'd expect he'll go about where he was slated to go before the combine.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI technically it wasn't even a "steroid" he was using, he was caught using andro which the NFL bans and considers "like a steroid." In Canada it's classified as a steroid, in the US apparently it's not.

I have no idea if Andro is prescribed for medical purposes I know it's typically used by bodybuilders and weight lifters.

 

[AzJc]

roids

Mort was ESPN this morning and said he has already talked to a few teams about how this effects Castillos draft ranking on their boards and all of them said it has no or very little barring on his grade to them.

Randy Mueller was on Sportscenter saying pretty much the samething

 

[sundevil81]

DT luis castillo admits steroid use!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft05/news/story?id=2036420

 

[Ryanwb]

Is this considered "strike 1"??

 

[BigDavis75]

This is the tip of the iceberg, I'm surer hundreds more of the NFL guys are on or have done the roids'. Not to be a pessimist though, I would stil love to have this guy as an NT.

 

[stretchthefield]

Does this count as strike one? will the team to draft him get a player one step closer to suspension?

Reallly thought he could be a difference maker if the Cards were to take him.

 

[Rocco]

Does this count as strike one? will the team to draft him get a player one step closer to suspension?

Reallly thought he could be a difference maker if the Cards were to take him.

I know they're saying that Hawthorne, Clinkscale, etc. are now considered to be in STAGE 1 of the NFL SA program. Not really sure what that means. I don't know how this affects Castillo since the substance was a steroid. I seem to remember Frank Garcia getting a 4 game suspension for a banned substance on his first offense.

 

[JeffGollin]

I don't think all teams will react the same way to (a) discovery and (b) how Castillo handled it. It will probably come down to "it only takes one GM who still loves him" to draft him high.

Whether or not the Cards are one of the teams who downgrades him or conversely still loves him - is open to speculation.

 

[clif]

I know they're saying that Hawthorne, Clinkscale, etc. are now considered to be in STAGE 1 of the NFL SA program. Not really sure what that means. I don't know how this affects Castillo since the substance was a steroid. I seem to remember Frank Garcia getting a 4 game suspension for a banned substance on his first offense.

Next positive test results in 4 game suspension IIRC

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I have to laugh at these scouts or so called insiders.A guy tests positive for a banned substance to improve his work out and it probably helps his cause or ,at least, doesn't hurt it. And then you have guys like Clarett, Benson, and Elton Brown that have poor workouts and it hurts their standing. I would get on the juice also if i was a college kid going to the combine.

 

[Russ Smith]

Does this count as strike one? will the team to draft him get a player one step closer to suspension?

Reallly thought he could be a difference maker if the Cards were to take him.

It subjects him to random testing for the length of his career. I don't know if that means suspension for failing, but he's now able to be tested for "reasonable cause" for the length of his career.

ESPN continues to say it won't hurt his draft standing and said 2 unnamed NFL GM's agree one saying his performance on the field matched his performance at the combine so there's no reason to think he's lying about his story that he used it because his elbow wasn't recovering.