Oh Sh*t.

--Darin Gantt
R.H. Herald

Finally, someone clarifies things a bit.

 

No, I find them to be the spawn of the devil's whore, but I have never accused any of them of being criminals. They do not need illegal drugs to be evil, it just comes natural for them. Ditto the Iggles

 

NFL GETS SHOT OF STEROID REALITY

At a time when Major League Baseball is wrestling with unprecedented embarrassment resulting from a growing steroids scandal that has engulfed virtually every player who hit a home run from 1987 through 2004, the pro football took a faceful of cold water on Sunday when word broke that a South Carolina doctor was under investigation for supplying steroids to members of the Carolina Panthers.

Although several members of the Panthers tell the Charlotte Observer that they're surprised by news that nine current or former team members are being questioned in connection with the case, the truth is that, even though the NFL has a comprehensive testing program in place to catch guys who use steroids, there always will be players who try to find ways to stay a step ahead of the testing protocol in the hopes that they can get an extra edge through the use of banned substances.

Indeed, often lost in the whole baseball and BALCO brouhaha is the fact that several members of the Oakland Raiders also have testified before the same California grand jury that reportedly has heard admissions from guys like Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, and Barry Bonds of steroid use.

So kudos to the NFL for successfully remaining out of the spotlight on the steroids issue. With the current controversy in Carolina, however, it'll likely be hard for pro football to remain incognito on this one.

PFT

 

Steroids and growth hormones are different. There are growth hormones which test are not developed for.

Someone has been getting these just like the baseball guys.

It will come out sooner or later.

 

Posted on Mon, Mar. 14, 2005



R E L A T E D C O N T E N T


Marty Hurney



• The State | Panthers seek own answers
• 03/13 | DEA probe links S.C. doctor to players




Steroids link stuns Panthers

Current, former players reportedly questioned

STAN OLSON

Staff Writer


• SCOTT FOWLER: Got a question? Ask Scott
• NFL: More off-season coverage
• PANTHERS PAGE: Full coverage
• FORUM: Talk about the Panthers





Several Carolina Panthers reacted with surprise Sunday to a report that at least nine current or former team members were being questioned by Drug Enforcement Agents in an investigation involving steroids.

The (Columbia) State newspaper reported Sunday that Dr. James Shortt, a West Columbia alternative medicine physician, was under federal investigation to determine whether he had illegally prescribed steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to athletes, possibly including Panthers players.

Most of the players contacted Sunday by the Observer said they had not heard of Shortt, and none said he had heard of any Panther using steroids.

"Nothing like that is going on, not to my knowledge," defensive end Mike Rucker said. "And the reason why I say that is that you're tested so much. I was tested a couple weeks ago out of the blue, so you don't know."

Investigators have audiotapes of conversations between Shortt and his patients, including some Panthers, the State reported, citing an unnamed source.

Carolina general manager Marty Hurney said Sunday, "We've known about the investigation for a short period of time, and we're trying to retrieve as much information as possible. At this time, we don't have enough information to comment further."

Hurney said the team had received a subpoena for addresses of current and former players connected to Shortt so that investigators could contact them.

Shortt's attorney, Ward Bradley, told the State, "Jim's not going to have any comment right now."

The only Panther contacted Sunday who had heard of Shortt was long snapper Jason Kyle, the team's representative to the players' union. Kyle said he had heard of Shortt only as one of many doctors active in the field of sports nutrition and supplements.

"That's kind of a growing field, whether it's an issue of cramping or energy, making sure guys have the proper levels of vitamins or minerals," Kyle said. "... There's guys who do everything from chiropractic to colon flush"

Kyle said banned substances would show up in drug tests.

"We're monitored down to cold medicine," he said, "so it would be pretty tough to get anything past those tests."

Safety Mike Minter said he had come to believe steroids were no longer an issue in the NFL because of the testing.

"It concerns me more than anything that somebody would feel like football was so important that they had to do something like that," he said. "If you are involved in it, it's a no-win situation. ...

"But there are guys that all they do is study to find ways to beat the system."

In the past three seasons, three Panthers have received four-game league suspensions.

Safety Jarrod Cooper, who was released in October 2004, was suspended during the 2003 season after being charged with driving while impaired for the second time in less than two years.

Defensive linemen Brentson Buckner and Julius Peppers were suspended in 2002. Both said they had unknowingly taken banned dietary supplements.

Hurney said no Panthers had tested positive for steroid use. Players are tested during the preseason and can be tested randomly at other times.

Linebacker Dan Morgan said he would never use steroids, and "you never really even hear guys talking about them in the locker room."

Rucker said, "When you hear about something like this, you start joggling in your mind, thinking about who could possibly be doing something like this. I can honestly say I haven't seen anyone do it or even talk about it."

 

There ya go. I just wonder how many cold calls where made by Dr Shortt or his staff to individual players looking to find new patients and these in turn ended up in the DEA's possesion. Man, if only we still had real journalists more interested in digging for the real story rather than make a deadline to deliver us the news would life be grand once again....

 

Panthers seek own answers in steroid probe

By DAVID NEWTON
Senior Writer

Team investigating players’ possible ties to Shortt

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers are looking into allegations linking at least nine current and former players to a West Columbia physician who is being investigated by federal agents for illegally prescribing steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney characterized the team’s efforts as a fact-finding mission.

“We’re just trying to retrieve as much information as we can,” he said after receiving numerous calls from media outlets around the country responding to an article Sunday in The State in which sources connected current and former Panthers players with the investigation into Dr. James Shortt, an alternative medicine physician.

“We’re just asking a lot of questions,” Hurney said.

Hurney said he has no reason to believe the players, some of whom were members of the NFC Championship team that lost Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1, 2004, are the target of the investigation.

Hurney said he understands the players are potential witnesses in the case against Shortt, though no charges have been filed.

None of the players has tested positive for steroids or any other performance-enhancing drugs, he said. Positive tests would result in an automatic four-game suspension by the NFL.

The NFL tests all players for steroids and other illegal substances during the pre-season. The league also randomly tests seven to eight players per team per week during the season.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said a player does not have to test positive for steroids to be subject to suspension.

“If a player is convicted of violation of a law involving steroids, he would be subject to suspension,” Aiello said.

A source familiar with the investigation told The State that investigators have audio tapes of conversations between Shortt and his patients, including some Panthers players.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents subpoenaed the Panthers last month for the addresses of players the DEA suspects are connected to Shortt, Hurney said.

Hurney would not comment on whether the subpoena was for more than nine players or whether the team had questioned the players involved.

Hurney would not identify the players named in the subpoena.

Team spokesman Charlie Dayton said until the team had all the facts, it would be inappropriate to comment.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/11129879.htm

 

As part of the peppers suspension, players are supposed to get approval from the trainer or doctor before taking any supplement, drug, etc…from anywhere. The fact that they were calling a doctor known for sports nutrition/products is definitely against policy.

 

Perhaps Mike hasn't been following the Balco investigation, as it's been well established that there are some steroids on the market that were previously undetectable.

 

So counselor, at what point did the call originate? Did the player call the doctor? Did the doctor call the player? And what is the exact nature of the policy. We know that a player must contact the training staff before TAKING any supplement, but are they also forbidden from checking stuff out?

This is the stuff I really hate about how stories are reported these days. The spin for maximum effect (and profit of course) is to feed on the current public frenzy for garbage on the players part. The focus on the story should be all the trash about this doctor. I mean the superficial accounts of his actions are disgraceful as it is. I just wonder how many other misdeeds this dude is going to be found to have done. Yet every AP and local press story coming out is focusing on the players. Perhaps some are guilty of something, and I imagine that will come out if true. But the facts of the day are that NO player is being charged with anything. They are being asked to deliver what they know to federal investigators. We should rejoice in the fact that justice is being acted out, yet somehow that is just not juicy enough...