The Pittsburgh Steelers finally pushed to their limits. During the Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts, linebacker Payton Wilson showed them the way to a 27-20 victory. It’s the second loss of the season for the Colts, who had a 7-1 record earlier. However, Wilson’s teammate, LB Patrick Queen, revealed an interesting story.

During the post-game interview, he told reporters that the league called him for a drug test immediately after the week 9 game. For those of you who don’t know, Wilson led the Black and the Gold with 14 tackles (10 solo), 2 defended passes, 1 interception, and 1 ball tipping that also led to an interception.

“He’s got a freaking drug test. I told him, that comes when you ballin,” Queen warned his locker room, especially Payton Wilson.

The Steelers drafted Queen’s teammate in the third round (98th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. Wilson has massively transformed his game from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, he played all 17 games (4 starts) and made 78 tackles (49 solo). He also recorded 1 forced fumble, recovered 2 fumbles, but had no sacks. His performance stayed steady but lacked big-impact plays.

In 2025, Payton Wilson exploded. In only 8 games (4 starts), he already has 71 tackles. He produced 45 solo tackles, 26 assists, and 1 sack. He also logged 1 interception for 17 yards. Patrick Queen’s teammate reacts faster, tackles cleaner, and moves with purpose. He now anchors Pittsburgh’s defense.

However, the league has been strict about players who put up a magnificent performance.

Jaguars kicker Cam Little made history with one powerful swing of his leg. He drilled a 68-yard field goal against the Raiders, the longest ever made in the NFL. The kick came just before halftime on November 2 and broke Justin Tucker’s 66-yard record from 2021. As expected, he also received an invitation from the league for a drug test.

Former New England Patriots DE Keion White had a monster outing in the Patriots’ 16–10 season opener win against the Bengals last year. He collected 2.5 sacks, 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 3 quarterback hits. He put pressure on QB Joe Burrow all afternoon and helped limit him to just 164 passing yards. The next morning, he woke up to a surprise.

Just one day after his dominant Week 1 performance, the NFL made him take a drug test. White shared the moment on Instagram, posting a picture of the test notice taped to his locker with the caption, “The boys got me on my day off.”

The league calls these tests random, but fans often notice the timing. Players? They try to find ways to bypass these tests.

Patrick Queen’s teammates could learn from a former NFL player

Former NFL cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones entered the league in 2005 as the sixth overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. He later played for 13 seasons before retiring after the 2018 season. Over his 12-year career, he faced multiple suspensions, but none related to drugs. Back then, the NFL had one of the strictest drug policies in sports.

Players could face a four-game suspension after four failed tests and even a season-long ban after six. Speaking on Deion Sanders’ Tubi show, We Got Time Today, in March this year, Jones admitted that he smoked ma—-ana throughout his playing days but never got caught because he cheated the tests. Jones said he always used someone else’s urine instead of his own.

“People don’t know how smart I am, but I could say it now. I don’t play no more,” Jones said. “I’ve never used my p–s for a piss test. Not one time.”

His method worked for years, and he was never suspended for a failed drug test. Sanders pointed out that such tricks might not work in today’s NFL. But now in Patrick Queen’s era, players are more relaxed. The league softened its stance on cannabis in 2020. The new CBA raised the THC threshold (from 35 nanograms to 150) and removed suspensions for positive tests.

However, players and teams are always careful about such tests that may undermine their playing time. It would harm their reputation as well!