James Ihedigbo

You remember the story. The week before Super Bowl XLVII Mitch Ross, owner of Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS) told reporters that Ray Lewis used deer antler spray to recover from his torn triceps injury.

It was everywhere. People accused Lewis of using PEDs or banned substances, but the Baltimore Ravens linebacker declined those claims.

Well Ross is back and this time he’s dragging James Ihedigbo‘s name through the mud. Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun have all the details:

Ross, a co-owner of Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS), told “60 Minutes Sports” in an episode that will air Wednesday on Showtime, that he recently sent a shipment of 400 “pain” chips to Ravens strong safety James Ihedigbo at the team’s Owings Mills practice facility.

The chips, which are essentially hologram stickers, are not banned by the NFL. A professor of neurology at Yale Medical School, Dr. Steven Novella, told “60 Minutes Sports”, “There’s no energy in those stickers. They’re just a piece of plastic.”

Ihedigbo wasn’t immediately available for comment Tuesday night. His agent, Dave Butz, declined to comment. Ihedigbo also declined to comment to the network when asked about Ross’ claim. A Ravens spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Ross, however, reiterated in an interview Tuesday night with The Baltimore Sun that Ihedigbo is still requesting his product.

Ihedigbo’s silence is the most baffling part of this story. If he isn’t doing anything wrong, why not come out and say it. This “pain” chips aren’t banned by the NFL. Is he worried about associating himself with Ross?

The NFL is a league full of guys who use PEDs. As recent as September players were fighting against testing for human growth hormone. I think there’s much more to the substances that players use in this league than we as fans hear about.