(Cheater) Shawne Merriman elected to grace NFL Tour cover

by Dan Dormer { Oct 12th 2007 at 10:30AM }

Congratulations, voters -- you've elected San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne "They weren't steroids, it was tainted supplement I won't identify" Merriman to the cover of EA's NFL Tour, a relaunch of the NFL Street series. The contest, launched at the official website in September, pitted Merriman against Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor and Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeny.

It's almost unfortunate to think that a cheater, suspended for four games last season for violating the National Football League's substance abuse policy, gets to be on the cover of a video game. What a wonderful lesson for kids: "It's okay if you juice, Timmy, you just might go to the Pro Bowl after you serve your suspension. If you're lucky, you might end up on the cover of a video game!"

Tags: EA, NFL, NFL-Tour

Related From Joystiq

You can choose the Madden 11 cover athlete
5 days ago
Grammy-winning Up composer got his break in video games
6 days ago
Halo: Reach detailed in next Game Informer
29 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

NATO_Duke @ Oct 12th 2007 10:32AM

Well hell, even OJ gets to be in games and paid for it.

Frowelishnu @ Oct 12th 2007 4:29PM

Ya but the Goldmans' will get that money until he's paid up on his civil fines.
And to think, all this time he was looking for his wife's killer and all he found was some of his sports memorobilia (sp?).

slickestjg @ Oct 12th 2007 10:34AM

Umm.... don't you mean 4-game AKA 4-week suspension? At least he didn't murder people a la Ray Lewis.

cheeky @ Oct 12th 2007 10:35AM

Suspended four months? Try four games (that's 1 month)....

Matt B @ Oct 12th 2007 10:53AM

True story.

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 12th 2007 10:35AM

I will cry myself a river of hypocritical tears as I BOOST achievements...

Jon @ Oct 12th 2007 10:36AM

Storm in a tea cup...

Anticrawl @ Oct 12th 2007 11:26AM

Wow, you get +5 internets for making an obvious yet intelligent observation and expressing it with the use of an idiom. The last time I've ever heard anyone use that specific phrase was my highschool o-line coach(he was an english professor) and noone understood it then either haha.

brad77 @ Oct 12th 2007 11:47AM

Er, tempest.

cheeky @ Oct 12th 2007 10:36AM

oh yea...and I also don't think it's that serious that kids will now pump roids to get onto a video game cover. Merriman is nasty without roids and is deserving of a cover.

Phil @ Oct 12th 2007 10:42AM

Kids could do a lot worse than Merriman as a role model. You should read about his charity work and his life growing up before you completely trash him.

And as a disclaimer, I am by no means a Chargers fan.

mikemick @ Oct 12th 2007 10:58AM

It's easy to do charity work when you get paid millions of dollars a year to play a game. Plus this story only states facts...which is he used steroids. It doesn't attack him in his personal life. Actually it is more of an attack on EA, not Merriman. Fair game.

phattie @ Oct 12th 2007 10:46AM

Everyone cheats.. he only got caught and made an example so the league can show people that they are serious about cheaters. They know there are more out there and they can do more the find them.. but, that would wipe out 90% of the players.

GRANTED @ Oct 12th 2007 10:47AM

if i were a parents with potential nfl offspring, i'd be like its ok to juice as long as daddy gets a new house in miami

waves @ Oct 12th 2007 10:49AM

Is it just me, or has the last year taught us the every player of every professional sport uses performance enhancing drugs?

The battle has already been lost.

dan stabbingworth @ Oct 12th 2007 10:50AM

And yet Barry Bonds is history's greatest villian.

FOXHOUND @ Oct 12th 2007 10:59AM

yep, nevermind that "Hitler" guy.

DemonGSides @ Oct 12th 2007 11:06AM

Who is Hitler?

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 12th 2007 11:53AM

A hitler is nothing but a miserable little pile of secrets!

Isn't that guy from familiy guy,I think he was banned of the Xbox live.

dan stabbingworth @ Oct 12th 2007 1:01PM

Foxhoud-

That's the ridiculous thing about it. You should read the comments section at ESPN whenever a Barry article pops up. He's essentially portrayed as Hitler by just about every poster.

mikemick @ Oct 12th 2007 10:57AM

Yikes I expected people to agree with the author, like I do. It's astonishing to me that someone that gets busted for steroids (which are also illegal) and gains so much praise. He is a cheater...plain and simple. His accolades are now phony IMO. Nike should share some of the finger-pointing with EA. Their new Merriman commercial pisses me off everytime I see it.

Matt B @ Oct 12th 2007 10:57AM

I wouldn't be surprised to see Dick Cheney on the cover of the next Big Game Hunters game.

Rususeruru @ Oct 12th 2007 11:01AM

Only if there are lawyers in the background!

brad77 @ Oct 12th 2007 11:51AM

What about Alberto Gonzales on the cover of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney General?

Stephen Lang @ Oct 12th 2007 12:32PM

...or George Bush on the cover of EAs new 'Race to the White House 2008'!

FOXHOUND @ Oct 12th 2007 11:01AM

This just means that if I play online, I shouldn't be surprised if my opponent cheats or disconnects to avoid a loss.

Sam @ Oct 12th 2007 11:08AM

Cheat codes FTW!!!!

9600baud @ Oct 12th 2007 11:26AM

Hey Dan Dormer why dont you get a life? Merriman is badass and you're just jealous. Seriously, bashing someone is news now?

-NOT a Chargers fan

Mr Slavio @ Oct 12th 2007 11:28AM

He is clearly the only one in the NFL that has used them.

Jacob P. @ Oct 12th 2007 11:34AM

lol...I see what you did there

soulpopped @ Oct 12th 2007 11:29AM

Wow. A little bias?

Aaron @ Oct 12th 2007 11:31AM

Dan Dormer, as long as we're talking about cheating in the NFL...

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/09/pgr4-f-e-a-r-files-demos-touch-down-on-xbox-live/

Oh but wait, I forgot that the Pats are allowed to do whatever the h they want (Rodney Harrison on steroids, video taping) since they win a lot of Superbowls. My bad...

blooh (CDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 11:44AM

why do you think they won those superbowls?

Sean @ Oct 12th 2007 11:56AM

Check and mate. Good show, ol' chap.

Aaron @ Oct 12th 2007 11:57AM

Seriously, as far as I'm concerned, the Pats' legacy as three time champions is tainted in my eyes.

Mr Khan @ Oct 12th 2007 5:25PM

Well you know that a New York Jets perennial season ticketholder is starting a class-action against Bellichick and the Patriots, because any game played against them can be suspected to not have been a "fair game" and thus not what the ticketholders paid for

The lawsuit hasn't been dismissed yet...

Aaron @ Oct 12th 2007 5:52PM

Whoa, I hadn't heard about that! I wonder if that case will ever see the inside of a courtroom?

telee @ Oct 12th 2007 12:03PM

FWIW, I saw Shawne play in college at Maryland. He was a beast. He had talent even before the steroids thing hit. Based on his performance without steroids both in college and the pros, I'd still say he's deserved of this award because he is still one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

blooh (CDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 12:09PM

then why did he juice?

Aaron @ Oct 12th 2007 12:16PM

Especially if it's a choice between him, Jason Taylor (nearing retirement), and Dwight Freeney (overrated), am I right? Who else are you going to choose if those are your choices????

Matt @ Oct 12th 2007 12:14PM

"It's okay if you juice, Timmy" is probably the funniest phrase I've read in a *while*.

Sean @ Oct 12th 2007 11:59AM

I'm just stoked they're bring back NFL Street. Hopefully it rules, since the last 2 were pretty weak. I didn't even know that EA was releasing a third one when I saw it at Blockbuster or something. What a waste of Ocho Cinco.

Stephen Lang @ Oct 12th 2007 12:33PM

Cheaters never prosper, they just get gold medals, home run records, and video game box covers... ;-)

Trenchalicious @ Oct 12th 2007 12:47PM

Wait, EA is making another crappy football game or is this the street series?

Dru @ Oct 12th 2007 1:04PM

I take it the author of this post is not a Charger fan. I got a better idea for the cover: someone from NE Patriots, holding a video cam...

Ganrob @ Oct 12th 2007 2:50PM

@news: Yes, because everyone who cheated before is terrible and always cheats/takes steroids and should never have to do with anything again. Sure.

Arkay @ Oct 12th 2007 2:22PM

Goodell revealed that only one out of many tests came back positive in Merriman's case. In fact, the backup tests were all negative. He released this info with Merriman's blessing toward the end of last year to lend more support to Merriman's claim that he had unknowingly taken tainted supplements, and those results certainly supported that (he was being tested multiple times a week before testing positive).