Comments on: MCALLISTER ACKNOWLEDGES "PROCESS" UNDER DRUG POLICY

By: DC_Bengals_Fan

DC_Bengals_Fan — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:24:50 +0000

“All for a product that basically makes players pee more. It’s not like it makes them run faster, be stronger or have any unfair competitive advantage. It’s like me getting in trouble on the job for taking Advil instead of Tylenol.”
Um, the point of the diuretic is so you pee out the markers for steroids so you can pass the test. The diuretic isn’t the performance enhancing drug (not for football, anyway), it’s what you take so you don’t get caught. Obviously, you’re not supposed to take it right before the test if you’re actually using it as a masking agent. I’m not saying these guys are guilty (if they are, they have the dumbest trainer alive), but there’s a reason it’s on the banned list.
The sad thing is, these players could easily contract a private lab to analyze any non-approved supplements to make absolutely sure they’re clean. It would cost probably $1000 per sample, which is nothing to them. Even easier, these guys could just find a chemistry grad student at their alma mater and get it done for free.
These idiots know the stakes, they know the rules, they’re stupid to take any supplement they haven’t had privately tested. Hell, just for *safety* I wouldn’t take any of these supplements that I haven’t had checked, they’re not regulated at all. This should be a wake-up call – when banned drugs are in supplements you can get OTC, you need to think about what you’re taking.

By: Norseman

Norseman — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:18:40 +0000

It would seem there could be a very simple solution to this problem. The NFL should set up a testing program where supplements are analyzed and if they contain none of the banned substances, they are on the Approved List. Said list would then be posted on each player’s locker, in the weight room, training room, and mailed to their homes.
Then, if the supplement is not on the Approved List, you don’t take it. If you take a supplement that is not on the Approved List and it later turns out to contain banned ingredients, then Tuffsky-Shitsky as the Russians used to say.

By: Kevin from Philly

Kevin from Philly — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:08:40 +0000

He was in London – shouldn’t he have said he has his solicitor working on it?

By: hrmlss

hrmlss — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:52:02 +0000

I’m a pharmacist, and Bumetanide (Bumex Brand) is a potent diuretic, ONLY available in the USA by prescription. “IF” it is in an OTC “supplement” the company involved won’t need to worry about a lawsuit from the player’s, they will be getting a visit from the FDA, and probably the DEA and FBI, with the company heads being fitted with orange jumpsuits. And since there is a list of banned substances, and your million dollar paycheck requires you to abide by the rules, you should check with the team if you should put anything in your body. Ignorance is not an argument.

By: Gulf Coast Offense

Gulf Coast Offense — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:21:24 +0000

During the Saints/Chargers game, Phil Simms said that Deuce told him that he sent the drug that he tested positive for to the NFL years ago and they said it was OK for him to take. I hope he kept a record of this.

By: bgman

bgman — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:19:33 +0000

So nowadays players can’t just go to GNC or natural health store or even Walgreens and buy legal products.
They must go to each product’s website to read the fine print and cross check with the NFL manual on approved substances before taking them.
All for a product that basically makes players pee more. It’s not like it makes them run faster, be stronger or have any unfair competitive advantage. It’s like me getting in trouble on the job for taking Advil instead of Tylenol.
If they’re risking a 4-game suspension, may as well take the full-strength anabolic steroids. At least then will the reward match the punishment.
And if the NFL is hypocritical in it’s list of banned substances. If the league was truly trying to take away all medically generated competitive advantages, why not ban pain killers and cortisone shots? That allows players to numb pain so they can perform with injuries. Isn’t that cheating more than taking a diuretic to temporarily lose weight?

By: bwnyc

bwnyc — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:16:52 +0000

The one thing these players all have going for them is that they’re all big guys who ostensibly could have a very good reason to lose weight quickly.

By: shuxion

shuxion — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:32:47 +0000

On the raggity-ANN doll says:
“It’s water weight you bastard.”

By: saintsfan504

saintsfan504 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:29:01 +0000

Where is the actual list of all the approved supplements? I’d love to see that.