The New Performance Enhancing Drugs
Sorry for the silence. I’m back from the beach and will be making bonus posts for the next few days to make up for it. The first thing is not directly Redskins related, but what an eye opener for me. At the beginning of his AFC previewGreg Easterbrook had some fabulous work on local anesthesia.
I always knew that the NFL used topical and spray style anesthesia to take care of dings. And I knew they used injections of various sorts but I assumed it was Cortisone and such. According to Easterbrook, players going back to the locker room for “treatment” are often receiving local anesthetic injections much like you or I would get at the dentist. And many of them are getting them before the game, too.
Say what you want about the league and steroids and HGH. I happen to believe that nearly 100% of the league is on some sort of drug. That’s why in 20 years we have gone from being amazed by 300 lb men to saying they are too small. And frankly I’m OK with that. It doesn’t bother me in the NFL and it doesn’t bother me for Barry Bonds or anyone else.
But if you are one of those booing Bonds and saying Shawne Merriman shouldn’t win defensive player of the year awards and such, then this really has to wake you up doesn’t it? What is the difference between Jose Canseco injecting Mark McGwire in the butt with HGH and Dr. James Andrews injecting Clinton Portis in the knee at game time? If you say that a doctor is doing it, remember that Barry Bonds was under the care of a whole medical team at BALCO. The Carolina Panthers that got caught using steroids were getting them from a doctor, too.
These injections allow a player with an injury play through the pain. If that isn’t performance enhancing I don’t know what it is. And as Easterbrook points out, the long term effects are damaging players. While the Olympics, the Tour de France, baseball and now even golf are dealing with steroids and HGH, the NFL which has hidden by the “strictest drug policy in sports” has been loading their players up with drugs and allowing them to be repeatedly concussed without any rule to stop it.
I’m not saying you should stop watching the NFL or you should think any records are invalid or anything. As I said, better performance through chemistry is fine with me. But if you booed Barry Bonds a couple weeks ago, boo Roger Goodell. Boo the next guy who comes back on the field after going to the locker room. Boo every player that is listed as questionable on your fantasy team who comes out and puts up a big day anyway. Boo them all.
Or get some perspective.
-DW
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August 15th, 2007 at 3:10 pm[...] A great post about local anesthesia being used in the NFL. I honestly had no clue. I honestly have no clue how you could play on that stuff, because it makes me woozie as hell. – Riggo’s Rag [...]
August 15th, 2007 at 4:05 pmSour grapes from a bitter baseball fan I say. At least Giambi walks!
August 16th, 2007 at 11:11 pm