Merriman Rule

 

In 2006, Chargers linebacker, Shawne Merriman was suspended for 4 games by the NFL for violating the league’s steroid and related substances policy. Both the initial sample A and the back up sample B both tested positive for steroids. Just a year earlier Merriman was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and had started in the pro bowl after recording 54 tackles and 10 sacks. It was quoted by Chris Mortensen of ESPN that the suspension was “definitely for steroid use and not a ‘supplement-type’ suspension.” Merriman claimed the positive results came from a natural substance he took regularly, but he never identified the substance. 

This incident lead to the creation of an NFL wide rule about eligibility for the Pro Bowl. The rule forbids any player who has tested positive for a banned substance from being named to the Pro Bowl or receiving any performance awards in the year in which they tested positive for the banned substance. This rule is commonly referred to as the “Merriman Rule” after Shawne Merriman. NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell has tried to distance Merriman with the rule, even stating that Merriman passed 19 out of 20 drug tests since entering the league. 

Olympic Swimmer in Deep Water

Michael Phelps is a house hold name in the United States, he is the most decorated Olympian of all time. He won a total of 22 medals in his career as an Olympic swimmer. Phelps holds the all time record in Olympic gold medals, with 18.

He has 11 gold medals in individual events, 13 in male individual events, He won 8 of these gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Phelps holds the world record for the 100 meter butterfly, the 200 meter butterfly, and the 400 meter individual medley. He’s been named the World Swimmer Of The Year seven times, the American Swimmer Of The Year nine times, and FINA Swimmer Of The Year in 2012. The decorated and successful Olympian fell into deep water after a picture surfaced of him using a water pipe (used for smoking tobacco or marijuana) in February of 2009.

After the picture surfaced Phelps’s agent, Drew Johnson released the following statement ““He feels bad he let anyone down,he’s also encouraged by the thousands of comments he’s received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone’s trust.” Phelps suffered many consequences as a result of the scandal. One of his sponsors, Kellogg did not renew his endorsement due to the incident. Kellogg released this statement regarding the decision to not renew with Phelps,”Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” 

Along with the loss of this deal, Phelps was suspended by USA Swimming for 3 months. Phelps was publicly reprimanded by USA Swimming, including temporary withdraw of it’s financial support.(Phelps’s received a stipend of $1,750 a month from the organization). As well as barring him from any competition. USA Swimming released this statement, “We decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and hero.”

Michael Phelps admitted that the picture had been taken at at party at the University of Carolina by a student, and that it was authentic. He apologized deeming his behavior as “inappropriate”, when asked what he could have been thinking to engage in this type of behavior Phelps said “Obviously not much. It’s a bad judgment. I can learn from it.” His sponsors including Speedo, Omega, and Visa have accepted his apology, some however, such as Subway have not taken a position.

Although Phelps did not use steroids or performance enhancing drugs, disciplinary actions were still taken to show athletes of all ages that engaging in any type of drug use is inappropriate and will not be tolerated in any sports.

 

 

BALCO

After many of these posts have included the BALCO laboratories, I have decided to dedicate a posting about the company. BALCO stands for the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operattive. Headquartered in Burlingame, California, the lab was founded in 1984 by Victor Conte, he was also the owner. BALCO marketed “the clear” (tetrahydrogestrinone), a performance enhancing steroid. “The Clear” was developed by the chemist Patrick Arnold.

Victor Conte, James Valente (Vice-President), Greg Anderson (weight trainer), and Remi Korchemny (coach) all supplied many high profile athletes from Europe and the United States with “the clear” and human growth hormones for numerous years.

 

 

BALCO, was a service business that performed urine and blood analysis along with providing food supplements. Conte offered free urine and blood testing to a the BALCO Olympians in 1988. These were a group of athletes who used the company. Conte then attended the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. From 1996 on Victor Conte then worked with American football star, Bill Romanowski. Romanowski proved to be useful in establishing new connections to coaches such as Korchemny and also various athletes. Conte and Korchemny teamed up shortly after that and founded the ZMA Track Club. The ZMA Track Club was used for marketing. Well known members of the ZMA Track Club included Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones. Then in 2000 Victor Conte got in contact with baseball superstar Barry Bonds through Greg Anderson. Anderson was a coach working in a fitness studio close by. Barry Bonds then provided contact information to other baseball players.

Boston Strong

  Although this blog is about steroid cases in professional sports, being from outside Boston I couldn’t help but write about the Boston Marathon Bombings.

 This is one of those tragedies where I will always remember where I was, and how I found out about the events on Marathon Monday. As an avid sports enthusiast I was watching the marathon and appreciating having Patriot’s Day off so I could catch up on some of my course work. I left the room for now more than 5 minutes, and came back to the initial reports of an explosion by the finish line.

None of it seemed real to me, Boston is the closest city to me and although it is smaller than most major United States cities, it is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. Every trip to the city has been a positive experience for me, like many others. However in the wake of this event, the image of safety anywhere is now tarnished. These things never seem to occur in the close knit place, however anywhere is subject to this type of disaster. The support Boston has received from all around the world is truly heartwarming.

Boston is a strong city and the with this strength we are able to stand together and weather this adversity together. “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Gandhi. Even President Obama acknowledged the strength of the city in saying “Boston, is a tough, resilient town and so are its people.”

The President of my college, Endicott College sent a touching email to us and this exerpt was particularly touching to me “Following these events, I urge us all to be little kinder and gentler and to recognize that we all seek love and understanding to conquer adversity.  So, take a minute today and every day to tell your family and your friends that you love them and will be there when they need you.  If we all work together, we can make a better and safer world.”

Remember to be kind to all, never forget all that you have in your life, and most importantly stay Boston Strong.

Barry Bonds and the BALCO Scandal

Barry Bonds is one of the most notable MLB players to be involved in the steroid scandal dating back to 2003. Bonds became wrapped up in the scandal when his trainer since 2000, Greg Anderson of BALCO was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Anderson was charged with suppling anabolic steroids to athletes, including numerous baseball players. Because of this charge, speculation started about Bonds’s use of steroids during the period in which the MLB had no mandatory drug tests. However Bonds maintained his innocence, saying that his changed body was due to a strict diet, bodybuilding, and legal substances. 

Barry Bonds testified in front of a grand jury on December 4, 2003. Bonds claimed to have used a clear substance and a cream provided to him by his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. Bonds claimed that Anderson had told him the substances were flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm for arthritis. Leaked reports on the Bonds’s grand jury testimony contended that he admitted to unknowingly using “the clear” and “the cream”.

In July of 2005 however, the four defendants in the BALCO scandal, including Greg Anderson struck deals with the federal prosecutors, these deals did not require the defendants to reveal the names of athletes who may  have used banned drugs. 

  On November 15,2007 Barry Bonds was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The indictment alleges that Bonds had lied while speaking under oath about his alleged use of steroids.

The Juice Man

Jose Canseco is one of the athletes best known for his association and use of steroids. Canseco even described the use of the banned subjects in a tell all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids’, Smash Hits, & How Baseball Got Big. Canseco made an astonishing claim that up to 85% of MLB athletes have used performance enhancing drugs. In his book he calls out MBL players: Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Ivan Rodriguez, and Juan Gonzalez as fellow steroid users. Giambi then admitted to using steroids in front of a grand jury investigating the BALCO case. McGwire publicly admitted to his use on January 11, 2010.

 Jose Canseco and Jorge Delgado were cited in the Mitchell Report on December 13, 2007. The Mitchell Report was to the Commissioner of Baseball, it was an independent investigation into the illegal use of performance enhancing substances and steroids by players in the MLB. Later in the same month, on December 20 ,2007 Canseco was also named in Jason Grimsley’s unsealed affidavit as a steroid user. In 2000 Canseco and Grimsley were teammates on the New York Yankees.

Canseco is now concerned about the youth and their perception of steroids, he was quoted as saying “These kids don’t need steroids to become players,””We overemphasize the steroids and not the athletic ability and skills of these people. We’re taking away the hard work the athlete puts in and saying he became great just because of steroids.” He then went on to say “Let me give you a perfect example. I have an identical twin brother, Ozzie. He is the closest thing to me genetically. And in my prime I was a super athlete. I was the fastest guy in the game. I was 240 pounds and I could hit a baseball 600 feet. The best arm in the game. My twin brother used the same chemicals, same workouts, the same nutrition. Why didn’t he make it in the big leagues? That is the perfect example that we are giving steroids way too much credit. If steroids are that great it would have made him a superstar.”

The Original Romo

Bill Romanowski was an NFL linebacker for 16 years. Including time with the San Francisco 49ers (1988-1993), the Philadelphia Eagles (1994-1995), the Denver Broncos (1996-2001), and the Oakland Raiders (2002-2003). Over the course of his 16 year career he played 243 consecutive games, a record amongst NFL linebackers. He was on 4 SuperBowl winning teams, and started 5 SuperBowls. He made 1,105 tackles in his career, 39.5 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, and 18 interceptions. He returned the interceptions for a combined 98 yards, and has one career touchdown. In 1996 and 1998 he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Bill Romanowski is one of the many NFL players to test positive for performance enhancing drugs. Romanowski admitted to have used steroids and human growth hormones that he received from the BALCO labs. As detailed in a previous post BALCO, or Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative is famous for its connection to providing athletes with performance enhancing drugs. The lab has been linked to Barry Bonds as well as Marion Jones. Records seized by the government belonging to BALCO indicated that Romanowski used the steroid “the clear” as well as synthetic testorsterone “the cream” provided by BALCO since 2003. Bill Romanowski was quoted as saying “It wasn’t about illegal. I was doing things that they couldn’t test for. As soon as they found out that something could be tested for, I stopped taking it. I didn’t want that embarrassment, but I pushed that envelope ethically and morally because if I could take something that would help me perform better and it wasn’t on the list, I was going to take it.” On October 16th, 2005, Bill Romanowski appeared on an episode of 60 Minutes, where he admitted to using steroids and human growth steroids provided to him by Victor Conte, the owner of BALCO.  Although he admitted to using banned substances he was not suspended for it by the NFL.

Running From The Lies

Marion Jones was an Olympic medalists and was an inspiration to those around her. In 2000 she was the American darling at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The United States cheered her on as she ran her way to 5 medals. She was celebrated as one of the greatest track and field stars. However this all came crashing down after it was discovered she had cheated her way to winning.

Marion Jones is a Los Angeles native, after attending the 1984 Summer Olympics she set the goal of becoming an Olympic champion. She set numerous records at her high school for track and field. She then continued her athletic career by playing Division I women’s basketball at the University of North Carolina, eventually leading the team to the NCAA title in 1994. She then went on to the 2000 Summer Olympics is Sydney and won 3 gold medals and 2 bronze.

It was discovered however that the elite Olympian, who was one of the greatest female athletes in the world at the time had take a steroid from the BALCO lab called “the clear”. The clear is a designer anabolic steroid,whose main purpose is to be used by athletes seeking to pass sports doping tests. The BALCO lab, located in San Mateo, California is most famous for its association with supplying MLB athletes with steroids. Athletes such as Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi have been suppled with their steroids through the lab. 

Eventually Marion Jones plead guilty to lying to two federal juries and spent 6 months in jail. Along with forfeiting  her medals, prizes, results, and points received after September 2000. “It’s with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust,” Jones said. Also adding “I have been dishonest and you have the right to be angry with me. I have let (my family) down. I have let my country down, and I have let myself down,” she said “I recognize that by saying I’m deeply sorry, it might not be enough and sufficient to address the pain and hurt that I’ve caused you. Therefore, I want to ask for your forgiveness for my actions, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” Jone’s boyfriend at the time Tim Montgomery found himself involved in steroid scandals as well and was banned from from track and field events.

LIVESTRONG or LIESTRONG?

Lance Armstrong is one of the most recognizable faces of cycling in the world. He organized his own company, LIVESTRONG. For a number of years many people wore the yellow LIVESTRONG silicone bracelets representing the company. The company is dedicated to supporting families affected by cancer and supporting cancer research. The company brings in millions of dollars per year for cancer. Armstrong himself fought cancer, he was diagnosed with stage three advanced testicular cancer, or embryonal carcinoma. Eventually his cancer spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. Armstrong then under went surgery to remove the diseased testicle, after which doctors told him his survival rate was only 40%. Later his brain tumors were removed as well.  The typical drugs prescribed are bleomycin, etopside, and cisplatin (or Platinol), however, Lance Armstrong chose an alternative,  choosing etoposdie, ifosfamide, and cisplatin to avoid the lung toxicity associated with bleomycin. This is the decision that may have saved his cycling career. Armstrong’s last chemotherapy treatment was December 13, 1996, and he was pronounced cancer free in February 1997. 

This year however his legacy and image have been tainted by a doping scandal. In an interview with Oprah, Armstrong admits to using enhancing drugs and to blood doping in order to increase his performance. Armstrong views the situation as “one big lie, that I repeated a lot of times”. This being released after numerous years of the cyclist claiming to be clean and also adding that anyone who says other wise was “just out to get him”. Armstrong lied to fans, sponsors, reporters, and cancer survivors. The cyclist lied under oath as well. Numerous fellow cyclists came forward in past years claiming they heard Armstrong admit to using enhancing drugs, such as the Andreu family, however each claim was shot down. Everyone claimed these cyclists were just jealous of Armstrong’s success. Floyd Landis’s accusations would not be denied however, he spoke to federal officials about Lance Armstrong’s doping and drug use, which lead to the investigation and Armstrong’s admission to using the banned substances. Investigators estimate the Armstrong has run up a doping bill of over $1 million. Including blood transfusions up to twice in three weeks as well as testosterone. Armstrong went on to say in the Oprah interview “I know the truth. The truth isn’t what was out there. The truth isn’t what I said.” adding “All the fault and all the blame here falls on me”. 

Should Armstrong receive any sympathy for what he has done? On one hand he did raise millions of dollars for cancer research and cancer patients. The LIVESTRONG company was an enormous asset to those fighting this deadly disease. A price cannot be given to the support the company offers and the help and awareness it spreads. However Armstrong lied for about a decade about his drug use. For years he continued to lie saying that he was clean and his Tour de France wins were legit. So which means more, the awareness and research for cancer? Or that one of America’s strongest symbols of hope and turned out to be a fraud? 

A-Rod Oops He Did It Again? (Allegedly)

Alex Rodriguez is one of the most recognizable users of steroids. In 2003 when tested for steroids the slugger tested positive for two anabolic steroids, testosterone and Primobolan. Primobolan is a mild injectable steroid. Rodriguez later released a statement about the drug use “When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez said. “And I did take a banned substance and, you know, for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful. And although it was the culture back then and Major League Baseball overall was very — I just feel that — You know, I’m just sorry. I’m sorry for that time. I’m sorry to fans. I’m sorry for my fans in Texas. It wasn’t until then that I ever thought about substance of any kind.” He claimed to have stopped his usage of steroids in 2003 when he injured his neck. The owner of the Rangers at the time, Tom Hicks released this statement in reaction to the positive test “I feel personally betrayed. I feel deceived by Alex,” Hicks said in a conference call. “He assured me that he had far too much respect for his own body to ever do that to himself.” Rodriguez was not subject to any disciple at that time based on the test results. The admission to the steroid use in 2003 will damage his reputation and his chances at the hall of fame.

Now in 2013 people are discussing another possible scandal involving A-Rod and steroids. The third baseman has denied the allegations.  It was published by The Miami New Times that Rodriguez was found on a list of players from a Miami clinic called Biogenesis run by Anthony Bosch. The punishment for the first offense is a 50-day suspension. A second offense is a 100-day suspension. A third offense results in a lifetime ban from the MLB. If A-Rod is proven to have used steroids a 50-games suspension would cost him $7.65 million of his $28 million salary. Remember that A-Rod will be sidelined for at least the first half of the season due to hip surgery. The paper that allergically reports Rodriguez’s drug use says the athlete paid for HGH; testosterone cream;IGF-1, which is a banned substance, which stimulates the production of insulin and GHRP, which releases human growth hormones. The document is said to list Rodriguez 16 times, the Yankees declined comment and will not discuss the matter until it is reviewed by the MLB.

Rodriguez is extremely lucky to not be disciplined the first time, I hope this time around if the allegations are true the league will take action. Players need to be more strictly punished for using illegal drugs. They are role models for young players and by using these banned substances without consequence they are damaging young minds. Young players will develop the perception that steroids are bad however there is no real consequence for using them if the MLB does not crack down and enforce the rules for all players. I hope players learn from the mistake after one time, if Alex Rodriguez did not he will surely suffer the consequences from the league as well as possible prosecution from congress.