Ahmard Hall back from suspension, wants to clear his name

Ahmard Hall returned to the Tennessee Titans this week after serving a four-week suspension for using a banned substance. The former Marine sergeant, now in his sixth year in the NFL, wants folks to know that he wasn’t taking steroids.

Hall told reporters yesterday that he popped positive for Adderall, a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine which is prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder. Hall says he borrowed the drug from a friend to keep him alert for a drive home to Texas in February.

This is an odd strategy if Hall is trying to clear his name. Isn’t taking a prescription that isn’t yours against the law and, presumably, NFL rules? If the suspension is the same for either drug, what difference does it really make?

From a football standpoint, Hall’s return is huge for the Titans, who have the lowest-ranked rushing attack in the league. Two seasons ago, Hall was part of a unit that helped running back Chris Johnson rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Hall said yesterday it would take more than just him to get on track, but every little bit has to help.

“The running game is not a one-person problem, it is a team problem, and offensive problem,” Hall told The Tennessean. “Me coming back, I am not going to solve the problem. We all have to get together and get on the same sheet of music. But I can’t wait to get out there Sunday.”