Athletes at Navy failed drug tests

[GreatAmerican]

<p>2 football players suspended in 2005; 5 others possibly took enhancers</p>

<p>Published in today’s BS:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-te.ar.athletes15nov15,0,4847726.story?coll=bal-home-headlines[/url]”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-te.ar.athletes15nov15,0,4847726.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

The Naval Academy acknowledged yesterday that two football players were suspended from play for the 2005 season after testing positive for using performance-enhancing drugs, and five others were identified as also having possibly taken the drugs.</p>

<p>Even though military law permitted the seven players to be court-martialed or expelled, the punishment administered through the academy’s internal disciplinary system was to restrict them to their dormitory for several weeks, except for classes and football activities, said sources familiar with the investigation. They asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution…

</p>

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Performance-enhancing drug used by players at academy was steroid, anti-doping experts say</p>

<p>Published in today’s BS:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-te.md.athletes16nov16,0,3864686.story?coll=bal-home-headlines[/url]”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-te.md.athletes16nov16,0,3864686.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Two anti-doping experts disputed yesterday Navy football coach Paul Johnson’s assertion that two of his players who used the banned performance- enhancing drug androstenediol early last year “weren’t popping steroids.”</p>

<p>Federal law defines the drug, popularly known as “andro,” as an anabolic steroid. When taken, it combines with naturally occurring substances in the body to produce an artificially high level of testosterone, which increases muscle mass and decreases body fat…

</p>

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Published in yesterday’s Washington Compost:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501369.html[/url]”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501369.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Navy officials said yesterday that two football players tested positive for a steroid-like substance following the 2004 season and were suspended for the 2005 season per NCAA rules. One player is back with the team; the other opted not to come back…

</p>

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Cummings calls for congressional probe</p>

<p>Published in today’s BS:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-te.md.athletes18nov18,0,2686149.story?coll=bal-home-headlines[/url]”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-te.md.athletes18nov18,0,2686149.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Naval Academy officials acknowledged yesterday that they waited more than two months to administer urine tests to five football players who admitted early last year to using steroids - a delay that experts said would have allowed any trace of the banned drug to disappear.</p>

<p>“I think it’s very important that we know who made the decision to test these young folks two months after we had good cause for suspecting illegal drug use,” said U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Baltimore Democrat who sits on the academy’s Board of Visitors, a civilian oversight panel. “I want to know who made the decision, why that decision was made, and I think that whatever answer that is provided should be one that every single member of the board should be very much interested in knowing.”…

</p>

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Published in the BS:</p>

<p>

Approaching the most important game of yet another successful season, Navy seniors have a chance to graduate having swept rival Army on the football field over a four-year stretch. But it’s everyone else at the Naval Academy who’s learning a thing or two about sweeping right now.</p>

<p>We lifted the rug last week - that finely woven fabric of high standards and lofty expectations - and saw exactly what was underneath. We now know that the academy didn’t take seriously the incriminating steroid admissions of five players, each of whom admitted to taking a banned steroid and none of whom suffered any real punishment…

</p>

[Profmom2]

<p>Another side of the story:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/11_15-47/NAS[/url]”>http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/11_15-47/NAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<ol>
<li><p>The intent was not to break any rules by any of the mids.</p></li>
<li><p>This is an over-the-counter nutritional supplement that is available to the general public at such places as GNC. It wasn’t illegally purchased or required a prescription!</p></li>
<li><p>Androstenediol and 1-testosterone were banned by the NCAA just prior to the 2004-2005 school year. Less than a month before the testing!</p></li>
<li><p>The two mids that were found by NCAA random testing were disciplined in accordance with NCAA rules. This type of substance is out of the body
in a few days, so no one else tested positive because of the time it took to make such an inquiry.</p></li>
<li><p>The five mids that said they had taken some of the supplements were disciplined for poor judgment.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Just quoting the article…not making any judgments…</p>

<p>We spend too much time on here trashing the athletic programs…football in particular…lets move on…</p>

[GreatAmerican]

<p>

We spend too much time on here trashing the athletic programs…football in particular…lets move on…

</p>

<p>The media isn’t moving on. Please refer to a excellent discussion on this subject:</p>

<p><a href=“http://mb4.scout.com/fnavyfrm2.showMessage?topicID=185.topic[/url]”>http://mb4.scout.com/fnavyfrm2.showMessage?topicID=185.topic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Another discussion thread on this subject:</p>

<p><a href=“http://mb4.scout.com/fnavyfrm2.showMessage?topicID=181.topic[/url]”>http://mb4.scout.com/fnavyfrm2.showMessage?topicID=181.topic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[GreatAmerican]

<p>Published in today’s Baltimore Examiner:</p>

<p><a href=“Examiner is back - Examiner.com”>Examiner is back - Examiner.com;

<p>

Don’t tell Rob Caldwell and Tyler Tidwell that the Naval Academy looks the other way when it comes to drug testing student athletes…</p>

<p>…Steroid use among our nation’s athletes is a serious issue. However, instead of making a mountain out of a molehill like some are doing with the Naval Academy, Congress and others in power should look for ways of providing all schools with the resources to deal with the ever-complex world of performance-enhancing drugs. </p>

<p>And then with everyone on a level playing field, the NCAA can do the right thing and establish uniform testing policies and sanctions. That would prevent situations like the one with the Naval Academy where a loophole in the rules put the service academy in the unenviable position of explaining why perception is far worse than reality.

</p>

<p>Ron Snyder got this story correct. The BS should stop bashing the Naval Academy over a nonstory.</p>