The Impact of Steroids on Professional Sports

I was watching the NFL Network the other day and it dawned on me that it doesn't seem like the NFL makes as big a deal out of players who are caught using steroids as other sports do. With all the controversy that's gone on in the MLB over the last few years, players have testified in court, been forced to retire, been released, and of course suspended for testing positive for steroids. Players like Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Rafael Palmiero are viewed by some as cheaters.

What about the NFL? The most popular incident in recent memory would of course be Shawn Merriman. Last season he tested positive for steroids and he was suspended for 4 games midway through the season. What's amazing to me is that people don't seem to even care about this. You heard people say at the end of the season how he should have been defensive player of the year, and he probably would have had he "not missed 4 games". Hardly anyone said anything like "Merriman doesn't deserve to be considered for any awards because he used steroids". In fact, he received 6 votes for Defensive Player of the Year! The guy was on NFL Total Access last week and they kept mentioning what a great player he's been over the last two years.

After news of his suspension broke, Merriman would later say that he was a victim of taking supplements he didn't know contained steroids. What's interesting is that the drug he allegedly tested positive for has to be injected to have any effect. Whether you believe he knowingly took steroids or not, every player has to take responsibility for what he puts into his body. Personally, I believe Merriman deserves a lot more flack for this than he's been given. People talk about him these days as if the incident never happened, and that bothers me. We will probably never know if his early success in the NFL was a result of steroid use, but it will be interesting to see if he can have another season like the one he had last year.

It would be interesting if the NFL or the NBA took the same stance on steroids that other sports do. Floyd Landis was disqualified from the Tour de France and had his title stripped from him for testing positive. What if the NFL decided to take away Merriman's Rookie of the Year honor? Or even worse, what if they disqualified the Chargers from playoff contention last year because of it?

What I'd like to know is what the rest of you think about pro athletes who use steroids. Does your opinion depend on the sport the player plays? Or do you feel the same about any athlete in any sport? Additionally, how do you feel about the policies that are in place in sports today?

 

Does the NBA even have a strict drug testing policy? Or is it like the MLB of the 80's? I don't really follow the NBA but I've heard that their policy is pretty lax.