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November 18, 2002
In A Move I Have
In A Move I Have To Applaud. . . The NFL has informed all 32 teams that they will be held responsible if it's found that they supplied their players with dietary supplements that include substances that are banned under the league's substance abuse policy: The NFL has sent all 32 teams a memo warning that they are subject to fines if they supply players -- knowingly or not -- with banned supplements. The memo mentioned that a team already has been disciplined, without saying which team. But a source within the league, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that team is the Oakland Raiders. ESPN and CBS both first reported on the existence of the memo and that the Raiders were the team to which it referred. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed that the memo had been sent, but he would not comment on which team already was disciplined. Aiello said the memo to the teams emphasized that players are ultimately responsible for what they take, even if those substances are supplied by the team. However, the teams will be fined if they are found to be involved. That the Raiders may have already been disciplined is hardly a surprise. For years, they've been known as a team with an "anything goes" sort of medical staff, something ex-Raiders defensive end Pat Toomay has been chronicling over at ESPN.com's Page 2 for the past few weeks. As I've said before, medical people all throughout the world know that many "dietary supplemets" are regularly contaminated with steroids, and NFL medical staffs have no business providing cover to players who want to skirt the rules. Does this mean the end of steroids use in professional sports? Not by a long shot, but at the least it's an encouraging trend.
Eric
12:56 PM
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