He may be the best slot receiver in the game. But Derrick Mason's fact-based reasoning skills are seriously lacking. Clearly he's not a Falcons player. And as such, you may wonder why I'm worried about what he says or does. The answer is fairly simple. He represents the players, especially when he makes wholesale comments regarding the labor dispute. He had this to say today about Roger Goodell:
"He needs to stop crying about blood tests and HGH. He needs to try to get a deal done, that's what he needs to do," Mason said. "He's been on this crusade about HGH, but he needs to be on a crusade about getting these owners together and trying to work out a deal. To me, he's a joke, because every time I look, he's talking about performance enhancements instead of talking about trying to figure out a way to make sure football is played in August."
When asked if he would call Goodell a "joke" to his face, Mason replied: "Yeah. He's a grown man and I'm a grown man."
In my mind, he's not helping his own cause. He's not helping the now-defunct NFLPA's cause. If you're reading this Derrick, I think you're a joke, and I'll say it to your face.
The NFL can ill-afford a MLBesque PED controversy. I don't want it. The vast majority of fans don't want it. At the end of the day, it's just bad for the sport. Just so I'm clear: there is no reliable non-blood test way to detect HGH use. It doesn't exist. And the leading experts don't think it'll exist any time soon. The blood testing at issue doesn't require much blood. In fact, we're talking diabetes-type blood testing here. One little prick. No more.
To be fair, several issues comprise the labor dispute, but I'm unconvinced re: Goodell's lack of focus. It's players like Mason that frustrate many a fan base.
End of rant.