American Football Linebacker Denies Allegations of Using Deer Velvet Antler to Return from Injury

Football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL, Ray Lewis, was once again in the limelight after reports have emerged that he has taken a product (Deer Velvet Antler Extract Spray) containing a bad substance to help him heal from his injury.

Lewis’ torn right triceps had sidelined him for the most part of the 2012 NFL Season. This brought him to spoke with Mitch Ross, co-owner of a company called S.W.A.T.S (Sports with Alternatives to Steroids) in October to allegedly request for products that would speed up his recovery from the said injury.

According to Sports Illustrated report, Deer Velvet Antler was among the products that were prescribed to Lewis. But then it also contains a substance that was banned not just by the NFL, but also by every major pro-league due to its IGF-1 content. IGF-1, according to S.W.A.T.S., is a natural anabolic hormone that helps stimulate muscle growth.

When Lewis was asked about the reports, he denied the allegations and even used the word “stupidity” to describe it. “I’ve been in this business for 17 years. And nobody has ever got up with me every morning and trained with me,” he said. “Every test I ever took in the NFL, there’s never been a question, if I’ve ever even thought about using anything. So to even entertain stupidity like that, tell him to go try to get his story off somebody else.” He also said that he does not want to respond to such stupidity and would rather not give any publicity to the company.

Vice-president for communications for the Baltimore Ravens, Kevin Byrne, also spoke and said that Ray Lewis never failed any drug test. “Ray has been randomly tested for banned substances and has never failed a test. We have never been notified of a failed test. He has never been notified of a failed test.” He also said that the Ravens officials believed Lewis when he denied taking any substance that was mentioned in the article.