"This column is not intended as a rationalization of Dwayne Bowe's mistake relating to performance-enhancing drugs. Nor is it intended to be a demonization of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley.

My perspective on the world is colored by my football-playing experience and my belief that most of the media tend to see the sports world from the perspective of coaches and executives.

As members of the media, we get more access to coaches and executives than we do the athletes. The typical sports columnist or broadcaster is closer in age to the head coach or general manager/athletics director than the athletes.

The most surprising thing about Bowe's suspension for using a PED is that he is the only member of the Chiefs to get busted. Bowe claims he used a diuretic to lose weight. Haley spent the offseason demanding that the Chiefs lose weight.

I know many of you don't care about what may have driven Bowe to skirt the rules. You believe if you were paid millions of dollars to play a game, you'd have little trouble staying in proper condition. You'd do everything the right way as long as you were paid a huge sum of money.

The truth is, you'd struggle with right-and-wrong decisions just as much as today's athletes. Humans are flawed. We all react differently to pressure. It brings out the best in some of us and the worst in others.

The culture of football begs athletes to cheat. Not to single out Mark Mangino, but listen to the stories we've heard this week about the culture inside the Kansas football program. That culture — minus the mean-spirited personal attacks — exists throughout college and professional football.

Injured players are pressured to play. They're treated poorly by the coaching staff. Players who get away with circumventing rules relating to PEDs and excel on the field are rewarded with accolades and huge contracts.

Dwayne Bowe did exactly what the NFL asked him to do. Football demands that an athlete heal as soon as possible and by any means necessary. Football demands that an athlete get leaner, faster and stronger as soon as possible and by any means necessary. Football doesn't tolerate excuses.

When someone raises an objection to the unethical culture of football, fans object. They argue that society has become "too soft." They complain that kids don't keep score in soccer matches and everyone must play in little league."