Pro athletes pay stiff price for steroids, drug usage, By: Jared Burton

November 15, 2006, Dixie Sun Sports Editor

Drug suspensions among professional athletes might soon become the new national pastime.

Drug suspensions among professional athletes might soon become the new national pastime.

It seems that suspensions in sports are becoming a daily occurrence and the epidemic does not seem to be on the decline.

By now, every time you turn on your television and the program is sports-related, you get bombarded by talks of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. However, steroids and growth hormone supplements are not the things you hear the most about.

Recreational drugs cause many of the suspensions that plague the nation's most popular sports.

So what are the leagues doing to prevent the use of these drugs by the athletes who are hailed as role models and heroes? Well, each of the major leagues has its own policies for dealing with the athletes who choose to break the substance abuse policy.

All leagues, such as the NBA, NFL and MLB, outlaw all illegal substances like marijuana, cocaine and heroine or any other drugs that are against the law to consume.
However, they do allow drinking; that is, until there is trouble with the law such as a domestic disturbance or the all-too-common DUI.

The rules are the very letter of the law and are seldom overruled by an arbitrator when enforced in each league.

The NFL has strict rules in regards to both steroids and recreational drugs. According to NFL.com, when a player is found with a performance-enhancing drug, the first violation is an immediate four-game suspension (such as the one handed down to Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman). The second violation is a six-game suspension, with a third being a one-year suspension. Six players from each team are selected randomly to take the steroids test.

Recreational drugs are tested once a year with plenty of notice. The first positive test is four games, the second violation is six games or more depending on the situation, with suspensions going as long as a year as in the case of Dolphins running back Ricky Williams.

Alcohol-related violations are a little different because the NFL does not ban the use of alcohol by its players unless such conduct is detrimental to the integrity of the league, and erodes public confidence in the NFL and professional football.

Probably the weakest league when it comes to drug violations and suspensions of players is the NBA.

Amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, opiates and PCP all fall under the category of one positive test is followed by a disqualification from the league. The most recent of theses suspensions was that of Chris Anderson, formerly of the Hornets. Testing positive for Marijuana carries no such disciplinary action until the third offense, and then it is only a five-game suspension.

Steroids in the NBA seem to be overlooked, with a player's first offense carrying a five-game suspension, the second a 10-gamer, and a third test returned positive requires a player to serve a 25-game suspension.

MLB has been the focus of many steroid talks over the last couple of years. Names like Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmero, and Sammy Sosa seemed to be on everyone's lips. So what is the current policy for these baseball players to live up to?

According to MLB.com, the drug policy instituted last year consists of a 50-game suspension of a player for the first violation ( just like the one handed down to Guillermo Mota earlier this month), 100-games for a second, and a lifetime ban for the third positive test. These are up a great deal from the 10-days, 30-days and 60-days from two years ago.

But without a doubt the most harsh of all the suspensions comes with the track and field competitors. The first positive test costs the athlete two years, and a lifetime ban for a second offense.

Drugs demean sports; everyone who uses them should know that much. So with all of these players getting suspended one might ask, "Why?" Well, we might never know the answers, but it sure makes for a great debate and some pretty sensational headlines.