Shutdown Corner - NFL

How do I end up in a bathroom stall at the Borgata with my pants around my ankles while a man named Bill stares at my penis?

Earlier that morning, I'd made over 10 phone calls to three different people arranging the final details of my afternoon meeting. After meeting up with Bill, we wasted no time as we casually strolled through the men's room doors. The two of us snuck quickly past the corridor of urinals toward the last stall -- our best bet for going unnoticed. Luckily it was unoccupied, and we moved right in.

Not many words were said in the stall. Both of us were completely comfortable with the procedure. Bill took out the package, but I was the one who had to break the seal. I ripped open the plastic container, revealing a short plastic cup to capture my random urine sample.

I had known Bill was going to show up around four in the afternoon, so I was well prepared. After drinking five or six cranberry juices I couldn't wait to go, but I figured that was a good thing. I couldn't risk having stage fright in that type of situation. I mean, what would I have done? Chat it up with Bill over a couple of beers while he stared at my junk?

I had thought mine was an original story, but I was mistaken. It didn't take many interviews before finding out that most players on my team had some kind of crazy urination story. Rock Cartwright was thrown into the same situation as me: "I was standing in the middle of the bathroom in the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas, and the dude says, ‘Just do it in front of the urinal.' Forget the stall, I was standing ass out in front of a urinal with some guy peeping around my shoulder."

Clinton Portis (pictured) was called for a test in the middle of a party at his mother's house. It shouldn't have been a big deal to head up to the bathroom and take care of business. But the problem was that the side door to the bathroom connected to his mother's bedroom. It must have been so embarrassing for him to have his mom walk into the bathroom with his pants down and package in-hand while another man stares intently.

The procedure for the NFL steroid testing is very exact. Obviously it doesn't discriminate where the test occurs, but more importantly the steps taken to collect the sample. When a player is drawn for a random drug test it must happen within 24 hours. It doesn't matter where that player is, the NFL will have someone track him down. If a player cannot give a sample of urine, it is counted as an automatic fail. Thus the uncomfortable situations.

To begin a test a player must show some form of government issued identification. The ID is never taken for granted by the test giver. It doesn't matter how recognizable the player is, they must produce valid identification. In other words, Peyton Manning is going to have to take out his license before he is granted permission to spill some urine.

After being identified, the player is given a lineup of identical urine cups. All of the cups are factory sealed in plastic, but it feels like an important choice in life when making the cup selection. "Let's see, what's inside cup number three, Bob? Oh look, we got a winner." After the cups the player gets to continue his selection process with the official anabolic steroid testing paperwork. It's surprising why the cup and paperwork aren't just handed to you.

Once the selection process ends the player must wash his hands before the real fun begins. Who knows what someone could put all over his fingers to tamper with the results? The test taker then takes his shirt off and moves into the bathroom stall. At this point the pants must go down below the knees. In my case they usually fall closer to the ankles. I feel like a four year-old kid standing bare-assed in front of the stall while my dad coaches me on, making sure I don't piss all over myself.

Normally I feel embarrassed, but then I put myself in the position of the tester. If someone asks him what he does for a living, his only honest job description could be "urine collector." The tester, in my case Bill, has seen an uncanny amount of penises. He must stare closely at all of them, making sure there are no Whizzinators filling that special little cup. To think, Brett Favre's penis could be the topic of discussion at his dinner table that night, and Bill knows all the details.

To the credit of the NFL and all the drug testers, every test I've ever done has been conducted very professionally, and I know most players feel the same way. I'm thankful that such great lengths are taken to collect urine samples from players at anytime, because it's ridiculous that players try to sneak in a cycle of steroids in our few months off. With the way the NFL tests for drugs, they make cheating very difficult for players to do.

Sometimes the tests just have to occur in uncomfortable situations, which, as I've hopefully conveyed in this story, can become quite the tale to tell.

Chris Cooley is a Pro Bowl tight end for the Washington Redskins and blogs every Wednesday here on Shutdown Corner. Read more from Cooley on his personal blog, where he gets awesome all the time.

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62 Comments

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  1. kyle t
    1. Posted by kyle t Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:27 pm EDT

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    Who the hell is that staring at your junk in the picture? Ryan Boschetti? Good insight.
  2. Matt
    2. Posted by Matt Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    That's among the best pictures I've EVER seen.
  3. Unsilent Majority
    3. Posted by Unsilent Majority Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:16 pm EDT

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    Pissing excellence.
  4. FairlyHonestBob
    4. Posted by FairlyHonestBob Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:28 pm EDT

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    So they bring Bill in for the small jobs?
  5. panda
    5. Posted by panda Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:03 pm EDT

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    cranberry juice? what are you on your period
  6. Hogs H
    6. Posted by Hogs H Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    Clinton Portis is the unibomber!
  7. Older_than_Moses_Shaq
    7. Posted by Older_than_Moses_Shaq Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:56 pm EDT

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    "Bill took out the package"...So no wonder guys have a problem with these tests. I'd prefer taking out my own package.
    Is it true Bill said "is that a rubber dong or are you just happy to see me?"
  8. jimmy n
    8. Posted by jimmy n Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:39 pm EDT

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    this was hilarious!! lmao Chris Cooley face = Priceless.
    Good job Chris Cooley
  9. Dan_The_Man
    9. Posted by Dan_The_Man Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    Did Portis fill that whole bottle?
  10. RJ
    10. Posted by RJ Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:38 pm EDT

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    why did cooley have to take off his shirt for this test. hmmmm......
  11. AlexR
    11. Posted by AlexR Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:57 pm EDT

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    is it mandatory to take your shirt off to pee, or is that just an easier means for billy fumanshu to take out your package for the test? costanza only took his off to drop off the kids at the pool.
    for your sake we'll just assume it was to show billy your cool male lower back tattoo. a unicorn basking in teh glow of a rainbow?
  12. A Yahoo! User
    12. Posted by A Yahoo! User Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:49 pm EDT

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    Good insight into this "black eye" period in sports. Perhaps in a few years this'll all be over and we all can get back to enjoying sports; instead of ridiculeing them. Sports reporters this is the NFL not the next season of Big Brother(ARE YOU LISTING DAN RATHER!!!). Also i agree with #3, Cooooooooleeeeey pisses exellence, and as for #10 hey man, he's just a big white winning machine....................HAIL
  13. .................................................!
    13. Posted by .................................................! Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:44 pm EDT

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    "Bill took out the package, but I was the one who had to break the seal. "
    Slow down there Bill Shakespeare, you've only been blogging for a month and suddenly you're whipping out the multi-layered puns!
  14. Patrick M
    14. Posted by Patrick M Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:01 pm EDT

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    That really is a great pic
  15. patrick o
    15. Posted by patrick o Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm EDT

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    Wow....a little penis joke...Unsilent Majority...that's a 6th grade joke.
  16. arod_831
    16. Posted by arod_831 Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    He kinda looks liek Chris Penn.
  17. Leon S
    17. Posted by Leon S Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:58 pm EDT

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    Terrific insight, but just one question:
    Why is the guy next to Cooley's mouth open???
  18. The Walking Dude
    18. Posted by The Walking Dude Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:56 pm EDT

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    Dude. I just filled the cup.
  19. Anthony C
    19. Posted by Anthony C Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:33 pm EDT

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    this is by far one of the funniest articles yahoo has ever posted, i will forever be a cowboys fan but cooley helped shed a little light of respect to those redskins..thank God im not in the nfl, i couldnt image my whoo-haa putting on a good show with an audience..
  20. Paul L
    20. Posted by Paul L Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm EDT

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    Wow thats f-ed up but halarious
  21. Barry B
    21. Posted by Barry B Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:19 pm EDT

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    Behind the scenes, in the glamorous world of the NFL...... roflmao!
    Thanks, Cooley, for this entertaining article.
  22. beauchamps1
    22. Posted by beauchamps1 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    Staring at another mans penis can cause something strange to happen to you, just sayin......
  23. Brian S
    23. Posted by Brian S Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    Cooley...you rule. Go Skins.
  24. jmak2020
    24. Posted by jmak2020 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    drug testing is stupid, we pay these guys a lot of money to do there job and if steriods give them an edge or help them in any way so be it. all it takes is all the guys in the league to tell goodell to take a hike and everyone sit out and a week later there will be no more drug testing.
  25. birkettnealy
    25. Posted by birkettnealy Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:08 pm EDT

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    Cooley, you're the man!

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