The NFL took it's turn on the congressional steroid hot seat. For the most part the NFL survived the grilling unscathed. The truth is the National Football League has the toughest steroid and drug abuse policy in professional sports.
The most disturbing news to come from the steroid hearings is the news that several congressmen are considering legislation that will in effect allow government control of sports drug testing.
While I agree that abuse of steroid among our nations youth is a major problem, I fail to see where Congress can fix this problem by imposing it's control over professional sports. The NFL is essentially a private enterprise; I find it troubling that the government is considering taking control of specific aspects of private industry. If the proposed legislation passes and is signed into law it will give Congress a foothold into professional sports. Once that door is opened I fear that professional sports as we know it could be changed forever.
Let's face it the government isn't exactly a role model for private industry. If Microsoft or Nabisco were run like the federal government they would have gone bankrupt decades ago.
All in all, I'm proud that the NFL has the toughest policy on drugs. That fact seems to have been lost in all the headlines. Since the drug policy was instituted in 1989 only 111 players have been suspended for drug use. Of those 111 over the last 16 years only two players have tested positive a second time and they both retired rather than take the penalty.
Only two repeat offenders in 16 years! I wonder if the nations prison system can boast those kind of stats.
For those that do not know the penalty for a first time drug failure in the NFL is a four game suspension with mandatory drug counseling/rehab. The second offense results in a six game suspension. The third offense results in a lifetime ban from the sport.
There are some that don't feel a four game suspension for the first offense is stiff enough, well let's break that down a bit further. For some players four games is nearly a million dollars. Four games is about a quarter of the season, meaning that the players statistics are pretty much shot. Why are stats important? Statistics lead to higher contracts in free agency. A player with a four game drug suspension could lose millions when it come time to sign new contracts. And finally, football is a team sport. If a player misses four games the team suffers, and has to struggle to make the playoffs. There is no pressure worse than peer pressure.
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