Attorney, teammate defend suspended Eagles CB

November 11, 8:27 PMPhiladelphia Eagles ExaminerGordie Jones

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The attorney for Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson, suspended four games by the NFL Wednesday for a violation of the league’s steroids policy, denied in a statement that his client used performance-enhancing drugs and said the positive test came when he took a pill to relieve bloating after eating Chinese food before last year’s NFC Championship game against Arizona.

Veteran cornerback Sheldon Brown also rushed to the defense of his teammate. He called Hanson “one of the genuine good guys in the league” after practice, and said he “lived life by the book.”

“If he were an a-hole, I’d be like, ‘OK,’ ” said Brown, adding that it appeared to him that the league was “making an example out of someone.”

Brown said he spoke with Hanson Tuesday night, and that he is “all right” with the decision. Hanson learned earlier that day that his appeal of the positive test had been denied, and that he would be suspended immediately.

David Cornwell, Hanson’s Atlanta-based attorney, said in his statement that his client “ingested a pill that turned out to be a diuretic” when he found himself “bloated” after eating Chinese food before the Eagles’ 32-25 loss to the Cardinals in January.

“Joselio did not use steroids or any other substance that would enhance his performance,” Cornwell said.

Cornwell also referenced the NFL’s move to suspend Vikings defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams for use of a banned diuretic last year, a decision that led to a lawsuit on the part of the Williamses (who are not related) and, in time, an injunction by a Minnesota state judge prohibiting them from being barred. A trial is scheduled for March.

The statement also noted that in the wake of a “near-universal recognition that diuretics are rarely used to mask steroid use,” the NFL Players Association and Management Council have exchanged proposals about diuretics, each of which put forth “substantial reductions” in penalty for a first positive test for such substances. Under neither proposal, Cornwell said, would a player be suspended four games for his first positive test.

Cornwell and Co urged that a decision in Hanson’s case be withheld until the two sides could reach a compromise on the policy. But, Cornwell said, “Our appeal to fairness was rejected.”

In closing, he said that Hanson “accepts his responsibilities as an NFL player.”

“Nonetheless,” Cornwell added, “we suspect that he is a casualty of the looming labor war in the NFL. Here’s hoping he is the last.”

As for Hanson, he was not at practice Wednesday and indeed cannot practice with the team while he serves out his suspension. Jack Ikegwuono was signed from the practice squad, and another cornerback, Ramzee Robinson, was signed to replace Ellis Hobbs, who was placed on the injured reserve list with a neck injury.

The Eagles, as a result, will employ something of a patchwork secondary Sunday, when they face San Diego on the road. Dmitri Patterson, idled by hand and quadriceps injuries the last four games, will serve as the nickel corner – Hanson’s usual role – behind Brown and Asante Samuel, the starters. (And it is worth noting that while Brown was not listed on the injury report Wednesday, his right ankle was tightly wrapped after practice, and it was hooked up to an electrical stimulator.)

Ikegwuono and Robinson will be in reserve.

“I know these guys can play the game,” said Brown, who added that it was “a win-win situation” in that little is expected of them, “so anything they do is a positive.”