In a statement issued to Pro Football Talk, Josh Freeman explains that he has a prescription for Adderall due to ADHD. Freeman says that, last year, he accidentally took Ritalin instead of Adderall, tested positive for Ritalin, and agreed to submit to unannounced and repeated testing, resulting in his placement in Stage One.

“I have agreed to take, and have PASSED 46 NFL-regulated drug tests over the last year and a half,” Freeman says.

Rumors became rampant about Freeman after his relationship with the Tampa Buccaneers deteriorated.

“Unfortunately, it appears that some people who may have noticed the testing at my workplace have made hurtful and incorrect assumptions and chosen to disseminate inaccurate and very disturbing information,” Freeman says.  “It is a shame that when times have gotten tough, people have chosen to attack the character of others, rather than supporting each other.”