Agent: NFL flagged Rogers' drug test

Rogers visits Lions ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -- There's no question that the Detroit Lions need a top wide receiver, someone like Michigan State's Charles Rogers. The team has the second pick in the draft which will be held April 26-27. Rogers, who visited the Houston Texans on Friday, came to the Lions' practice facility at Allen Park on Monday, one of 20 player visits each team is allowed. The Lions could draft Rogers, if the Texans don't obtain the first pick from Cincinnati to get the receiver. Rogers did not speak with reporters Monday on the advice of his agent, Kevin Poston. Poston said Rogers was very interested in playing for the Lions. "This is home," Poston said. "Charles is from Saginaw, he won a state championship here, he went to Michigan State, won a Biletnikoff Award and did everything he could, and coming to the Detroit Lions I'm sure would be a dream come true for him." Lions president and CEO Matt Millen and head coach Steve Mariucci met with Rogers. "I had a great, great talk with Charlie, great visit," Millen said. "Steve had a great visit with him also. He's a kid who has great skills, obviously, and also a personality to match so I think it would be a good fit here for us." FULL STORY

DETROIT (AP) -- Charles Rogers, Michigan State's All-American receiver, had excessive water in his urine when he took a drug test in February, Rogers' agent said Monday.

The NFL told Rogers, expected to be one of the first players taken in the draft April 26, that excessive water is regarded as a masking agent under the league's drug policy,

"He had to go to the bathroom for them at 5:30 in the morning and with people standing all around him," said Kevin Poston, Rogers' agent. "He couldn't go, so they gave him a lot of water and 30 minutes later, he did.

"I'm very comfortable with this. This does not put Charles in the league's drug program. If they want to evaluate him, that's fine, because Charles doesn't use anything."

Rogers had a spectacular two-season career at Michigan State. Many believe the Detroit Lions will take him second overall if a team doesn't make a trade with Cincinnati to obtain the first pick to draft Rogers.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello could not comment on any specific player regarding the drug policy, but shed light on the program.

"Diluted urine is considered a positive test under the program," Aiello said. "If a player tests positive for a banned substance at the combine for diluted urine, he is subject to possible entry into our program, which would result in his undergoing frequent testing for some time.

"If a player tests positive for a masking agent, he would be evaluated by a physician who would decide the next steps."

Rogers and Poston met with Lions officials, including team president Matt Millen, during a previously scheduled meeting Monday.

"All that stuff is going to be between Charles and the National Football League and his agent and that's it," Millen said. "I had a lot of questions. I'm not going to get into what questions I asked, those are personal and confidential."

Poston did not let Rogers speak with the media Monday because "I'm his lawyer," he said.

"He needs to concern himself with football," Poston said. "He doesn't need to concern himself with any of this. This is just blown way out of proportion."

In a workout before almost every NFL team last month at Michigan State, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Rogers was timed in the 40-yard dash between 4.26 and 4.33 seconds. He had a vertical leap of 37 inches and cleared more than 10 feet in the broad jump.

Rogers, who caught a school-record 68 passes for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Spartans last season, decided to skip his senior season to enter the draft. He set NCAA and Big Ten records by catching TD passes in 13 straight regular-season games and 14 consecutive games overall.

In just two seasons, Rogers made his mark in Michigan State's record books, not easy to do because Andre Rison, Plaxico Burress and Muhsin Muhammad were Spartans.

Rogers set records with 27 TDs and 12 100-yard receiving games and finished second with 2,821 yards receiving. Rogers and Burress, who Pittsburgh drafted eighth overall in 2000, are the only receivers in school history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

 

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