Pft: Upshaw Treading On Thin Ice With Steroids

[Cbz40]

POSTED 3:41 p.m. EDT, March 25, 2007

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UPSHAW TREADING ON THIN ICE WITH STEROIDS

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NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw, who has held a hammerlock on the job for decades, is a wise man. How else could he have managed to survive for so many years in a job that plenty of other surely covet, and that at any given moment could be disrupted by a band of rogue players cajoled by Upshaw's enemies into demanding change for the mere sake of it?

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Upshaw should direct some of the wisdom that he has parlayed into a prolonged tenure as union chief to the current conundrum regarding steroids. For now, the media and the general public are overlooking the apparent reality that plenty of NFL players are using banned substances and, due likely to sophisticated strategies for beating the piss man, aren't getting caught.


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So, in our view, the very last thing that Upshaw should do is offer up defiant sound bites that could jar to life the giant that recently awoke from its slumber to swallow the reputations of many a baseball player. ​

Regarding the question of whether NFL players tied to an ongoing investigation into the purchase of steroids via an online pharmacy, Upshaw declared that suspension should be meted out only if players test positive. "We are not going to get into a witch hunt," Upshaw told the Charlotte Observer.

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In other words, Upshaw is saying that, as long as guys can cheat and get away with it, it's okay by him to cheat.

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Upshaw was reacting to the opinions of World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound [insert adolescent snicker here], who thinks that the NFL "absolutely" should discipline players tied to 'roids, regardless of whether they can beat the testing protocol.

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"WADA can say whatever they like," Upshaw said, "the players in the NFL have both a union and a collective bargaining agreement."​

Said Pound in response: "If [Upshaw] wanted his sport and the NFL to be drug-free, he would not say that. It's an either-or situation: Either he wants drug-free football or he does not."

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Pound is right. And by engaging Pound in a public debate on the issue, Upshaw will only get more people thinking and talking about the worst-kept secret that no one seems to care about. And as more people think and talk about the worst-kept secret that no one seems to care about, more people will start to care about it.


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Especially if Upshaw is perceived to be splitting hairs in an effort to protect cheaters.​

So our advice, Gene, would to be to continue to ignore that pile of poo that has been perched on the NFL's living room floor. By pointing it out to everyone else who has grown numb to it, someone might eventually decide that it's time to clean it up.

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And to punish those who left it laying there for so long.​

 

[notherbob]

People are complaining about how little the retired old-timers are getting from the NFL. Maybe the league could negotiate a deal with the union where players caught on steroids and players whose behavior is contrary to the league's preferences could be hit with some large fines and the fines go into the retirement money pool for the older players.

Sounds practical to me.

 

[juck]

i say let them use anything they want,if they are that stupid fine.they all used them in the 80s and before whats the difference.it would make the league better.

 

[Kilyin]

i say let them use anything they want,if they are that stupid fine.they all used them in the 80s and before whats the difference.it would make the league better.

The game used to be played with leather skullcaps and goal posts in the front of the end zone.... let's revert back to that era, it would make the league better. Injuries equal excitement, eh?

You can drive with your feet if you want to, that doesn't make it a good frickin' idea.

 

[BlueStar22]

does anyone get the day off at PFT.

 

[DragonCowboy]

i say let them use anything they want,if they are that stupid fine.they all used them in the 80s and before whats the difference.it would make the league better.

I disagree.

Steroids are giving them an unfair advantage, leaving players who do not use steroids at a disadvantage. This would force some more to take steroids, which will eventually have a good portion of the league taking steroids. Considering the damage that comes with steroids, this is a bad idea.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Dick Pound sorry

 

[BlueStar22]

Dick Pound sorry

i remember when Salisbury was on Dan Patrick and they mentioned his name, Sean was laughing uncontrollably. It was hilarious because you know he was red in the face with tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

[Aikbach]

Let Upshaw skate on into the ice cold water, he is a disasterous representative, he should pursue a seat in congress.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

i remember when Salisbury was on Dan Patrick and they mentioned his name, Sean was laughing uncontrollably. It was hilarious because you know he was red in the face with tears streaming down his cheeks.

I have tears streaming down my cheeks right now, hilarious

 

[Crown Royal]

I don't see what he said that is controversial. I dislike steroids and every possible avenue should be taken to keep them out of the sport.

That being said, it isn't fair to suspend a player just because of possible ties. Due process shouldn't be just a governmental thing.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't see what he said that is controversial. I dislike steroids and every possible avenue should be taken to keep them out of the sport.

That being said, it isn't fair to suspend a player just because of possible ties. Due process shouldn't be just a governmental thing.

That and the NFL has the strictest testing policy in professional sports. They took it very seriously after the whole LYle Alzado thing from what I understand.

 

[Aikbach]

That and the NFL has the strictest testing policy in professional sports. They took it very seriously after the whole LYle Alzado thing from what I understand.

Steroids are more likely to harm someone in football as well as opposed to say track or baseball.

These men pound on each other and roid rage in the trenches could be quite nasty and evident.

 

[MapleLeaf]

That and the NFL has the strictest testing policy in professional sports. They took it very seriously after the whole LYle Alzado thing from what I understand.

...between IOC and what professional sports does. It's a matter of what society wants from these venues.

It's been determined that most people hate to see their Olympic athletes drugged to the nines. Look at the tremendous backlash Ben Johnson of Canada took when he won the 100m on Seoul only to test positive.

As for professional sports the public doesn't really care until it a star athlete from another team. Look at how the board reacted to Merriman.

For myself the truth is out there in the pictures of these athletes. Performance enhancing drugs or supplements are a fact of life when money is on the line. How else can you account for the fact that two of the top five placekickers in the league have thighs bigger than most of the lineman in the pro bowl?

Yeah like guys 5'8" are suppose to have legs bigger than Jason Ferguson.

Until the public really gives a darn it won't change in football where steroids not only give you a competitive advantage in mass and strength, but more importantly it allows the body to recover from the weekend faster. NFL testing is really only a sham compared to the IOC.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

...between IOC and what professional sports does. It's a matter of what society wants from these venues.

It's been determined that most people hate to see their Olympic athletes drugged to the nines. Look at the tremendous backlash Ben Johnson of Canada took when he won the 100m on Seoul only to test positive.

As for professional sports the public doesn't really care until it a star athlete from another team. Look at how the board reacted to Merriman.

For myself the truth is out there in the pictures of these athletes. Performance enhancing drugs or supplements are a fact of life when money is on the line. How else can you account for the fact that two of the top five placekickers in the league have thighs bigger than most of the lineman in the pro bowl?

Yeah like guys 5'8" are suppose to have legs bigger than Jason Ferguson.

Until the public really gives a darn it won't change in football where steroids not only give you a competitive advantage in mass and strength, but more importantly it allows the body to recover from the weekend faster. NFL testing is really only a sham compared to the IOC.

True but that only makes the premise of this article even more pointless. If the public doesnt care then how is Goodell on thin ice. Theres no public outcry only Florio trying to get some attention.

 

[MapleLeaf]

True but that only makes the premise of this article even more pointless. If the public doesnt care then how is Goodell on thin ice. Theres no public outcry only Florio trying to get some attention.

...I can see the public giving a snot's worth of concern over steroids in the NFL is if it's undeniably proven that a player's supplementing has made a difference on the field and the score of a game.

Short of that players are going to try to gain any competitive advantage they can. Testing will be a balance between the Union and the League with neither side wanting to upset the apple cart unless it hits them in the pocket book.

Merriman's case is a perfect example of how serious the NFL is on the issue. It's not really all that serious in my opinion.

 

[Tractor1]

I don't see what he said that is controversial. I dislike steroids and every possible avenue should be taken to keep them out of the sport.

That being said, it isn't fair to suspend a player just because of possible ties. Due process shouldn't be just a governmental thing.

I agree. Until a player tests positive no action should be taken. The NFL needs to come up with better testing methods plus tougher actions against offenders. Two strikes and your out should make players think before participation.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I agree. Until a player tests positive no action should be taken. The NFL needs to come up with better testing methods plus tougher actions against offenders. Two strikes and your out should make players think before participation.

Well, the truth is that the methods to test for almost everything are already there. It's simply a matter of agreement that blood should be drawn. Testing may be expensive but in reality, this business makes more money then some third world countries do on an annual basis. If we really wanted to stop this, we could. As the earlier poster said, it won't happen until society decides that it should. Ultimatly, the guy buying the ticket or the cable or the jearsy can decide what needs to happen. If ratings dropped by 10% for just one year, both the NFL and Players Union would take immediate steps to correct this problem. However, each year, the audiance just increases. It really is our own fault.

The majority of us say that we want drugs out of the game and if the Commanders get a guy pinched or the Eagles or the Giants, or really, whomever loses a player then we're OK with that. However, the proof shows up when it's TO or DWare or one of our own guys who impacts our team greatly. Then, will we howl for his head on a post like we would if it were another teams star? I don't think so. In fact, I think it would probably be just the opposite. Too many would scream outrage and turn hiddious against those who would support stiff penalty regardless of our own team alligance. I just think that it's our own fault this continues to happen. It won't go away until we make it go away through financial impact and I don't see that happening any time soon.