New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s season opened with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy and the team went 2-2 in his absence.
But, it ended with the team winning the Lombardi Trophy and Edelman earning MVP honors in Super Bowl LIII after he had 10 catches for 141 yards in the Patriots’ 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Every #SuperBowl catch from the MVP.@Edelman11 | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/x3r4xftVWS
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 4, 2019
But, should he even have been on the field?
USA TODAY columnist Nancy Armour thinks not.
In a piece, Armour argues Edelman — as he would have been if he played under Major League Baseball’s rules — should have been ineligible for the postseason after testing positive for the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
“If this was any other sport, we’d be howling about the sanctity of the game and how someone who cheats should be branded with a scarlet PED for the rest of his life,” Armour writes. “It wasn’t even two weeks ago, in fact, that Barry Bonds found himself shut out of baseball’s Hall of Fame yet again because he didn’t come by his home runs, or his expanded hat size, naturally. But we don’t even bat an eye at NFL players who dope. Rarely does a month go by without a player drawing a four-game suspension for PEDs, yet the announcement draws as much attention as the endless shuffles of the practice squad.”
Regardless of what Armour thinks, Edelman has a message for her.
JUST NOW: Super Bowl MVP @Edelman11 with a message to all @Patriots haters out there:
"Why you gotta hate? Collaborate!"
His sleepless message of peace…on @NewDay pic.twitter.com/3ijWmlmWlc
— John Berman (@JohnBerman) February 4, 2019
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