Is the NFL investigating Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes for PED use? NFL's drug policy garners attention as fake tweet goes viral

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was caught in a storm when a tweet claiming he used PEDs during Sunday's Super Bowl victory went viral, which, as expected turned out to be false. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 in Super Bowl LVII at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona, with the 27-year-old Chiefs quarterback taking home the Super Bowl MVP award.

After the Chiefs' victory against the Eagles, however, a report about Mahomes testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) started to circulate.

The report turned out to be false, though. The rumor was started by the Simon Charles Twitter account. Charles claims to be a "respected sports writer" and uses a stock photo of an elderly man.

However, the account is a parody, and by publishing such material, it has amassed a following of almost 4,000 individuals.

According to the post, Patrick Mahomes' quick post-game drug test returned a positive result, and if found guilty, the Chiefs might be stripped of the title.

The post, which received two million views at the time of writing, sparked rumors that Mahomes used performance-enhancing drugs. However, it has since been made clear that this was wrong information and nothing mentioned in the tweet was true.

Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL, deemed the assertion to be "completely incorrect." The performance-enhancing substance policy of the NFL and the NFL Players Association requires a random selection of five players from each team to undergo drug testing. One of the Chiefs players chosen to undergo testing wasn't Mahomes.

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What is the NFL’s PED policy?

The NFL's Performance Enhancing Drug policy forbids players from using anabolic, steroid, or exogenous testosterone. If players use online-purchased stimulants, growth hormones, or steroids, they are banned.

The NFL believes that using performance-enhancing drugs endangers the fairness and integrity of the game while benefiting the users.

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Sanctions for using PEDs

-The first infraction carries a four-to-six-game suspension.

-A two-game punishment results from a player using an agent to conceal the usage of performance-enhancing substances.

-Use of stimulants, HGH, or steroids results in a four-game penalty.

-A six-game punishment is incurred when a test is tampered with.

-A 10-game ban results after a second infraction.

-A third offense can result in a season-long suspension or more.

In general, suspensions do not apply during the offseason. When a player tests positive for drugs during the offseason, the NFL requires them to complete a substance abuse program.

The PED policy does not apply to alcohol or marijuana. According to the NFL's recreational drug policy, marijuana positives no longer result in fines.

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