Brian Cushing Blames Positive PED Test On 'Overtrained Athlete Syndrome'

Houston Texans linebacker and reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing is speaking out about why he thinks he tested positive for hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) last September.

On Friday, Cushing told Peter King of SI.com that he tested positive because of "Overtrained Athlete Syndrome."

"Everything points to that overtrained athlete syndrome,'' Cushing said. "I'm pretty sure it is. I'm pretty positive. I didn't take anything. It's not a tainted supplement. So all roads lead to that.''

King explained that the syndrome "results from athletes training intensely for a long period, with the possibility of a testosterone imbalance resulting when an athlete stops training."

Texans owner Bob McNair insisted that Cushing has never taken performance-enhancing drugs and he is appealing the suspension today to commissioner Roger Goodell.

Cushing is suspended for four games of the 2010 season for taking hCG, a fertility drug used to re-start regular testosterone production after steroid use. Despite the positive test, Cushing still won the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2009.