It’s safe to say that New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate isn’t happy with at least one of his doctors – Tate was suspended for four games due to violating the league’s substance policy, but as it turns out, the suspension wasn’t because of a usual PED but because of something that was prescribed to Tate from a fertility clinic. According to Tate, he was misled in the status of the drug and whether or not it would result in trouble from the league.
“I think ultimately because the doctor had said no, it’s not a banned substance and I have prescribed it to other NFL guys,” Tate said on Wednesday, after being asked about not consulting the league before taking the substance. “If the doctor says I’m not sure, I would have 100 percent looked into it. If the doctor never said he had given it to other NFL players, I 1,000 percent would have looked into it.”
The mistake is going to cost Tate over a million in salary this season thanks to the four games that will be missed with suspension. As such, it definitely seems within Tate’s rights to be upset with the doctor – even if it was also Tate’s mistake for not looking further into the drug before taking it.
“We are definitely looking into [taking action against the doctor], we are kind of examining all of our options. his all came out a few days ago, so I’m still trying to get through camp, trying my best to focus and continue to be a leader for this organization, and practice hard,” Tate continued.
Tate can play in the preseason and has been a participant in training camp but won’t be able to play during the regular season until week five. That game will be against the Vikings, but it won’t help the Giants to lose Tate for not one but two division matchups in the opening four weeks of the season, one of them in the opener against Dallas and the other in week four against Washington.
However, despite the frustration with his doctor, Tate did admit responsibility for causing the problem. “I’m responsible for what’s put into my body, ultimately. The tough thing I am dealing with is I’m letting down a lot of people. My family, the guys in the locker room, the people in the organization that brought me here. That’s kind of what’s been crushing me with this whole situation.”
We’ll see how Tate rebounds from this situation in week five when he can return, against the Minnesota Vikings. It will certainly be a boost for the team when that happens, but there’s no telling just what their record will be like at that point after four games with an unproven roster.