It has been an eventful season for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman as not only does he find himself to be the team's third-string quarterback, but news has also broken that he is part of the NFL's drug program, while the 25-year-old fifth-year quarterback insists he's never taken or tested positive for illegal drugs.
"Let me be very clear. I have NEVER tested positive for any illegal drugs or related substances. Further, I have agreed to take, and have PASSED 46 NFL-regulated drug tests over the last year and a half," Freeman said in a statement per Sports Illustrated.
Freeman, who came up on the losing end of the first three Tampa Bay (0-4) games this season before being relegated to a suite high atop Raymond James Stadium for Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals as rookie Mike Glennon took the reins to the offense, has asked the organization to trade or release him after a tumultuous start to the season where reports circulated in Week 2 that he and head coach Greg Schiano were at odds.
Freeman, the team's first-round draft pick back in 2009, was dethroned as a team captain via a vote prior to the beginning of the season and was also late to a team photo which reportedly drew the ire of Schiano. Following the team's struggles through the first three weeks and a swift demotion for Freeman, things only got stranger from there. Monday, ESPN reported that Freeman was a Stage 1 participant in the NFL's drug program.
The report by ESPN went on to say that Freeman has a temporary use exemption for a prescription drug that would otherwise be against the league's substance abuse policy. There are three stages to the program and a Stage 1 participant doesn't mean that Freeman ever tested positive for a banned substance without an exemption.
Freeman went on in a statement, attempting to defend himself:
"Since the confidentiality of my medical status has been publicly violated, I am choosing to address this matter so that grossly erroneous assumptions about me do not persist. Like millions of Americans, I have ADHD and I have been prescribed and permitted to take medication to treat this condition for the entirety of my NFL career. Well over a year ago, I took a different medication for the same condition (Ritalin rather than Adderall), and to assure everyone that the error was a one-time mistake, I agreed to be voluntarily tested in the "NFL Program". Since that time, I have taken and passed all 46 drug tests I've been given, which test for every drug and banned substance imaginable. I agreed to allow such testing to be done at my workplace (team facility) because I spend all of my time there and I have nothing whatsoever to hide or be embarrassed about.
Unfortunately, it appears that some people who may have noticed the testing at my workplace have made hurtful and incorrect assumptions and chosen to disseminate inaccurate and very disturbing information. It is a shame that when times have gotten tough, people have chosen to attack the character of others, rather than supporting each other. I remain dedicated and focused to being the best quarterback I can be and to help a team win a championship."
There is no update as to who released the information, but whoever it was violated Freeman's confidentiality rights. If Freeman ends up being traded, the team he would be going to would only be required to know his status in the league's drug program only if he was one strike away from a suspension, but since he never failed a drug test for a banned substance without an exemption, the records should have been kept a secret.
For now, Freeman looks for a new home after his career with the Buccaneers has flamed out. On the season, he is 43-for-94 (45.7%) for 571 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Freeman's rights were violated and whether or not that affects a possible trade for the young signal caller is unknown, but his days with the Bucs are likely numbered.
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