Just thought this article was relevant. Posted it awhile ago
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In Daily News poll, players say some finding ways to beat system
Put to the test
In Daily News poll, players say some finding ways to beat system
The first week of the NFL season is filled with so many intriguing storylines: Manning vs. Manning; T.O. vs. Tuna; Reggie Bush's debut; Chad Pennington's annual comeback from shoulder surgery; and what should be the start of Brett Favre's farewell tour.
But hanging over the NFL is another issue: Was the steroids/human growth hormone scandal in Carolina involving five Panthers from the 2003 Super Bowl team an aberration or an indication that the league has a widespread problem? Will the NFL be blindsided by another scandal?
Last week, we put together a panel of seven NFL players and polled them on five key issues:
1. Is NFL drug testing "almost a joke," as the prosecutor claims the Panthers players named in the scandal said it was? In the nearly 20 years of the program, 60 players have been suspended for steroids and another 60-70 due to be suspended were out of the league by the time the punishment was handed down.
Yes: 1
No: 5
Don't Know: 1
The one "yes" vote came from a player disgusted with the testing procedure for cocaine, marijuana, etc. Once a player comes up clean in his preseason test, he has a free ride the rest of the year.
Players can be randomly tested up to six times in the offseason for performance-enhancing drugs. They are usually given 24 hours' notice and arrange with the tester where to meet. The offseason tests can be intrusive. One player was having lunch at a Chinese restaurant when he met up with the league tester. They went into the bathroom and the tester watched as the player provided his urine sample. One player said it was dehumanizing to have the tester show up at his house and accompany him to his bathroom while his incredulous wife sat in the next room.
"That is the nature of what we do," the player said.
Each week during the season, seven players per team are randomly tested. They are not given advance notice. The first positive test results in a four-game suspension.
Comments: "I don't agree that steroid testing is a joke," one player said. "Not when you have to walk into a bathroom, pull your pants down over your ankles, take your shirt off and pee in a cup."
And, one player added, you have to do that with the tester "watching me do it. He has to have a full view."
Here's the problem: HGH can only be detected in a blood test, which is considered by many experts to be unreliable, and the NFL does not test blood anyway. If HGH is taken in conjunction with a low dose of testosterone, the steroid may not show up either because of the low dosage or because it has a short half-life. That could be a reason none of the Panthers named in the scandal ever tested positive.
Still, not knowing when the test will come is a strong deterrent. After the Panthers case, the NFL conformed to Olympic testing standards by lowering the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone that triggers a positive test from 6-1 to 4-1.
"When people mention things like testosterone and growth hormone, you have to look at the limits of science vs. the limits of the policy," said Adolpho Birch, the NFL's counsel for labor relations and the administrator of the program. "We have done some things that will help that issue."
2. Are players finding a way to cheat on the test?
Yes: 4
No: 1
Don't Know: 2
Comments: The feeling was it was impossible for players to pull a fast one when they are actually being tested. Most of those polled said they were not aware of the HGH/steroids mix or of finding ways to keep their level of use undetectable.
"That's pretty scientific for someone to go through," one player said. "The Panthers still didn't win the Super Bowl. It goes to show cheaters never win."
As far as beating the system, one player said, "If you want it bad enough, people are always going to find a way."
Said another: "I know how they take our urine samples. I don't see how you can cheat it. I got to pee right in front of them. How can I cheat that?"
3. Are there players in the league using steroids?
Yes: 4
No: 1
Don't Know: 2
Comments: "I can't say no and be correct and I can't say yes and be for sure," one player said.
Another added: "It's possible. Very possible. I don't look for it, I don't see it, I don't want to know."
And another player said there is probably a "handful of guys" doing steroids. "It's a microcosm of society," he said.
4. Are there players in the league using HGH?
Yes: 1
No: 1
Don't Know: 5
Comments: "What is that?" one player asked.
Another said: "I don't know much about it, so I wouldn't say. I've never been around it and have never known anyone who has taken it."
5. Has the NFL been flying under the radar because of the focus on steroids in baseball?
Yes: 0
No: 7
Comments: Most of the players felt the NFL has set the standard in steroid testing. "Maybe baseball has drawn more attention to the minor abuses in the NFL, but I don't think it's a problem in our league."
Another player said: "I don't think people care if people use steroids. What difference does it make to the fan watching the game? With baseball, people just want to see home runs." He admitted he didn't know that steroids are illegal without a prescription.
