When in doubt, blame Adderall.

It doesn't carry the baggage of steroids, HGH or even illicit painkillers.

Jermaine Cunningham is the latest to hop on board the Adderall bandwagon after word came out about his suspension for four games without pay for violation of the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.

A league source told the Globe's Greg Bedard that Cunningham tested positive for Adderall, which like Ritalin is often prescribed to individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Why pick Adderall as the banned substance of choice? Drugs like it are widely used for common medical and behavioral problems, especially in children. There are some of us who take steroids every day to survive, but most folks aren't aware of their positive effects. Adderall and drugs like it are different. "Hey," Football Mom says, "My kid takes that so he can concentrate in math class. Why are they banning him for that?" So even if the positive was for something more sinister - or politically incorrect - using Adderall as a crutch is much more publicly acceptable.

The common football excuse for the use of Adderall is because it supposedly provides players with tunnel vision and focus.