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NFL REPORT – THE COMMISSIONER’S VIEW -- Spring, 2004 LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST STEROIDS
The recent federal indictments in the BALCO case also sent a strong message about the use of criminal sanctions to shape public policy on this important issue. The National Football League applauds these actions. The president’s statements and the indictments support the many steps we have taken with the NFL Players Association since implementing a comprehensive program of steroid testing, discipline, and education. Beginning in the late 1980s, the NFL and its players have been at the forefront of sports on this issue. We initiated testing of our players for steroids in 1987; started suspending violators in 1989 upon their first positive steroid test; and instituted in 1990 a year-round, random testing program backed by immediate suspensions for any violations. The program has strong features to deter evasion and has been expanded numerous times, including three years ago to include ephedra, a dangerous legal supplement that the federal government is now in the process of banning as we have urged. Winning this battle against steroids requires more than words. It takes the investment of significant resources. We spend $10 million per year on our steroid and drug programs, including the funding of research to identify new substances and improve testing. To date, we have invested close to $100 million on this initiative. It is fully supported by our Players Association and our players, who have consistently told their union leadership that they want these performance-enhancing drugs out of our game. Why has this issue been among the highest priorities of the NFL and its players? First, these substances threaten the fairness and integrity of the game on the field. To allow the use of steroids and banned stimulants would not only condone cheating, but also compel others to use them to remain competitive. Second, we have a responsibility to protect our players from the demonstrated adverse health effects of steroids and other banned substances. Medical literature is replete with research linking the use of these substances to a wide range of serious health problems. Third, we take seriously our role in educating and leading young people. As President Bush said, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is dangerous and sends the wrong message that there are shortcuts to success and that performance at any price is more important than integrity. The key provisions of our policy are: · An annual test for all players plus unannounced random testing in and out of season. We test players on all teams each week of the season, conducting more than 8,000 tests per year for steroids and related substances. · A list of more than 70 prohibited substances, including anabolic steroids, steroid precursors, growth hormone, stimulants, and masking agents. This list is revised and expanded on an ongoing basis. · A mandatory four-game suspension (25 percent of the season) without pay upon a first violation. A second violation would result in a six-game suspension and a third would ban a player for a minimum of one year. Players cannot return to the field until they test clean and are cleared for play. · Strict liability for players who test positive. Violations are not excused because a player says he was unaware that a product contained a banned substance. · Education of players and teams about the program through literature, videos, a toll-free hotline, and mandatory meetings. The consistent application of these core tenets has resulted in the NFL’s policy being recognized as the most effective in professional sports. The overwhelming majority of our players get the message. Over the past five seasons, less than 1 percent of our players (a total of 25) have violated our steroid program and been suspended. When our steroid testing lab – the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles – informed us last year of the new designer steroid called “THG,” we immediately added it to our banned substance list and started officially testing for it on a uniform basis on October 6. Since then, we have randomly tested more than 3,000 player urine samples and there have been no THG positives. We have taken our concerns about steroids and dangerous supplements to public officials. Stronger government measures are needed to address these challenges both in and out of professional sports, including for millions of young people and families for whom illicit substances are an issue. Through our participation with other athletic and health organizations under the auspices of the Coalition for Anabolic Steroid Precursor and Ephedrine Regulation, we support Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and other members of Congress who have introduced legislation that would stem the access and availability of steroids and other substances. We have presented our concerns to the Food and Drug Administration, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the New York State Assembly and Senate advocating the regulation or ban of high-risk dietary supplements such as ephedra. Even now, as the federal government is focusing on steroids and other substances that have been around for decades, new challenges are being presented by the improper use of human growth hormone and the continuing advance of gene therapy and genetic manipulation. Both the government and private sectors must aggressively address these challenges. If not, the secret designers of new illicit substances will slog on and the future will bring more high-profile grand jury investigations, health risks to young people, and dishonor to sports. This aricle was first published in The New York Times on February 29, 2004.. |