Following the NFL’s announcement that DeAndre Hopkins would be suspended, an internet rumour spread that he had taken beaver tranquillizer.
Here, we disprove that bizarre theory and investigate its origins.
Following a breach of the league’s performance-enhancing drug (PED) policy, the NFL suspended Arizona Cardinals star, DeAndre Hopkins, for six games on Monday.
Did DeAndre Hopkins Really Use A Beaver Tranquillizer After The NFL Suspended Him
The Cardinals’ three-time All-Pro receiver will now miss a significant portion of the upcoming season. Last season, the 29-year-old caught 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns in ten games.
Following The Announcement, Hopkins and His Manager Released Statements.
Hopkins’ brand manager, Doug Sanders, issued a statement shortly after the announcement, stating that Hopkins’ camp is now testing every product he has used to determine what caused the positive test:
DeAndre Hopkins’ brand manager, Doug Sanders, texted this tonight about his client, who was suspended six games earlier in the day: pic.twitter.com/gHlZMKrSQM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 3, 2022
Hopkins also apologised to the Cardinals and his fans, writing, “See you Week 7.”
See you Week 7. pic.twitter.com/rHTofEx7jK
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) May 3, 2022
Did Deandre Hopkins Use Beaver Tranquilizer?
Following the news, there was a web rumour that DeAndre Hopkins had taken beaver tranquillizer and had been suspended as a result.
The rumour seems to have originated from a large Twitter account with 94k followers. ‘Sources say DeAndre Hopkins tested positive for three different forms of anabolic steroids and a low-grade beaver tranquillizer,’ according to the report.
This is, however, untrue and is a movie reference. The statement is from Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn’s film Dodgeball.
In the film, the dodgeball team loses in the regional stage of the tournament to girl scouts. The scouts are disqualified, however, since one of them (Bernice) is using “three different types of anabolic steroids and a low-grade beaver tranquillizer.”
yo deandre pic.twitter.com/2qCWAVBc6r
— drew olanoff (@yoda) May 2, 2022
We don’t know what the drug was that precipitated Hopkins’ suspension at this time. As a result, according to Hopkins’ brand manager, they’re currently investigating every product to see what triggered the positive test.
Hopkins has withdrawn his appeal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, making the suspension official.
Hopkins missed the second half of last season due to hamstring and knee ailments, so this is a major loss for the Cardinals.
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