There are a lot of things NFL players use to kill pain besides steroids, au1929. These are not good for them, either, but I believe the NFL is a lot tougher on steroid users than MLB is...
I happened to vist Curt Marsh, formerly of the Raiders, when he was hospitalized to have his severely damaged foot amputated after years of abuse. He was quite frank about the stuff he and others used to get through the pain. Team doctors were there to dispense it, and the players wanted to stay in the game.
D'artagnan
The NFL may be more strict however, there are still abusers that are caught and given minimal suspension time. In addition I find it hard to believe that the behemoths now playing in the NFL got that way naturally.
au1929, you may very well be right; I claim no expertise in this regard. I will say, though, that MLB is known as having a lax standard re steroids compared to the other pro leagues.
And now the chickens are coming home to roost...
I was reading somewhere, even though the NFL is a little stricter, it's pretty much a joke to fail the test. The testosterone ratios they test for, they give a lot of leeway.
This article might bear you out Slappy. Although the right to re-test samples isn't in place in MLB.
NFL, NFLPA resolve THG appeals
(July 14, 2004) -- The NFL and NFL Players Association have resolved the appeals of three NFL players who tested positive last year for the newly identified steroid THG.
The three players -- Chris Cooper and Barret Robbins of the Oakland Raiders and free agent Dana Stubblefield -- each will be fined three game checks and placed on reasonable-cause testing for the remainder of their NFL careers. Cooper, Robbins, and Stubblefield had no history of violating the steroids policy. Any further violation of the policy by these players would result in a minimum eight-game suspension (50 percent of regular season).
Uniform testing for THG on all NFL player urine samples began last Oct. 6. Since then, more than 4,000 samples have been tested for steroids with no positives for THG. The NFL also has tested all available samples -- approximately 1,700 -- taken before Oct. 6 before a reliable test for THG had been developed. The positive THG tests of Cooper, Robbins and Stubblefield were among four produced from the pre-Oct. 6 samples (the appeal of the fourth player is pending). None of the other 1,700 pre-Oct. 6 samples produced a positive for THG.
NFL Executive Vice President Harold Henderson and NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw exercised their authority under the Collective Bargaining Agreement to resolve the issue. The settlement came after several months of discussion and before to a scheduled disciplinary hearing this week on the THG matter.
"This case presented a unique set of facts not addressed by the parties when the policy was written," Henderson said. "Resolving the dispute required compromise by both sides, but the most important point is that our policy is now stronger. Going forward, we have a clear understanding that all available samples will be tested for any newly identified 'designer' steroid as soon as a test is developed. Users will be caught and disciplined in the same manner as those who test positive for known substances. The NFL steroids policy will continue to be the most comprehensive and effective in professional sports."
The players and the Players Association had challenged the NFL's authority to re-test specimens deemed to be negative after an initial screening.
"We felt from the start that there was nothing in our agreed policy to allow for going back to test old samples long after they were found to be negative," Upshaw said. "This is an unusual case. We strongly support a 'zero tolerance' policy on steroids, but there also must be clear and fair procedures that everybody knows and understands."
