Baltimore Ravens safety turned boxer Tom Zbikowski passes second drug test after failing first
One week after Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski tested positive for marijuana in a drug test, he passed a second drug test which will go to the boxing commission in an attempt to drop the 45-day suspension handed to him.
Zbikowski’s manager Mike Joyce told a local newspaper in Carroll County, Maryland, that his client was shocked to discover that he had somehow tested positive for marijuana and subsequently suspended by the Chickasaw Nation Boxing Commission.
Zbikowski has decided to box during the National Football League lockout and improved to a 4-0 record on Saturday, April 23, 2011 after defeating Blake Warner just one minute into the first round of the fight by a knockout in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
The boxing commission performed drug tests on all the fighters listed to fight that night and suspended five of them. The 5-foot-11 inch, 215-pound cruiserweight’s next fight is scheduled for May 21, 2011 in Cabazon, California and the one following is to
be held at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California on June 4.
Joyce told a local newspaper in Chicago, Illinois that Zbikowski would be appealing the suspension because the results were erroneous.
“After the fight, all the fighters tested were positive,” Joyce said. “They had you pee in a cup and put a strip of something in there. I've never seen results where you get them the day of the fight. It was like a home pregnancy test or something. He's
taken all sorts of tests for the NFL and he's never tested positive ... ever.”
The Ravens team also acknowledged the incident, posting the following statement on their Twitter page. “We're aware of the story about Tom and the test. As of now, unfortunately, we are unable to reach out to him for his side of the situation.”
Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Ravens, supported Zbikowski by calling his fights “awesome.”
Zbikowski was drafted 86th overall in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Notre Dame, where he started his boxing career. In his rookie year, Zbikowski played in all 16 games but started none. In those games, he recorded
19 tackles. In his second year, he started in four of the 15 games that he played in, accumulating 29 tackles, four passes deflected and two interceptions returned for a total of 13 yards.
In 2010, Zbikowski started in six of the eight games that he played in and had 17 tackles.
His first fight was in 2006 when he beat Robert Bell just 49 seconds into the first round of their fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Zbikowski’s second came in 2007 with his third on March 12, 2011. He is currently 4-0 and awaiting a new collective bargaining agreement since he is a free agent.
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