[Washington Redskins News]

During the lost season of 2006, when little went right for the Washington Redskins, injuries jabbed Marcus Washington as if he were a pin cushion. He spent the last two games on injured reserve because of a sore hip, and when the season ended and most players went home, Washington went to the operating table for hip surgery.

The effects on Washington, clearly the most outwardly energetic defensive player, were obvious as the unit, especially its linebackers, struggled. Washington's 1,000-watt smile dimmed to a flicker. The perpetual motor wheezed. The unfailingly optimistic Washington was short in interviews, a physical presence virtually invisible in the locker room he usually illuminated.

But while the injuries were annoying and the losing worse, Washington also was left dark and brooding because of a hard and bitter secret that he believed could threaten a long-crafted reputation as a team ambassador. He is now convinced that it ruined his season.

During a routine round of mandatory drug testing last August, Washington's urine sample was flagged as suspicious, and by league rule he was placed in Stage One of the NFL's substance abuse program. His urine was classified as diluted -- a potential sign of a player using a masking agent to hide illegal performance enhancers from drug screens. He was subjected to random testing throughout the season, pregame urine testing and -- most humiliating, friends say -- psychiatric evaluation.

washingtonpost.com