NFL Follies

Forest Tennent was at one time in charge of the NFL's drug-testing program. This statement even takes the normal exaggeration of doctors on steroids to an entirely new level.

"Young athletes who take heavy doses of anabolic steroids for 60 to 90 days should expect to die in their 30's or 40's."

Pete Rozelle, form NFL commissioner stated in 1985:

"We're developing test for steroids. We might even come up with it this year."

I feel one of Steven Seagal's lines in the movie Under Siege is an appropriate comment to both of these two quotes... "What kind of babbling bull---- is this!"

The statement made by Forrest Tennant is ridiculous. There is absolutely NO medical research to support his claim. However, this statement was also made by an official of the Food & Drug Administration. The thing is I expect children to make statements as unsupported as this, not a doctor in charge of the drug-testing for a sports organization that grosses approximately $5 billion a year!

As far as Pete Rozelle, the first steroid test was made in 1973 and used in 1974. A much improved version was devised in 1983 which caused the 1983 Pan American Games scandal.

C. Everett KoopPast Surgeon General and Founder of Drkoop.com, C. Everett Koop, M.D.

In a message through the Department of Health and Human Services, C. Everett Koop had this to say about steroids while he was surgeon general:

"A number of studies have been done on just how well the anabolic steroids work at building muscle, and their ability to do that remains in doubt. However, there's no doubt about the number of side effects and adverse reactions that can occur from the drugs. The list is long, running from acne, cancer, kidney disease and sexual problems to stunted growth for younger children. Needless to say, some of the reactions can be fatal."

This quote is consistent with Dr. Koop’s bias, and uninformed attitude towards medicine. If anything, he should have stated there is there is a considerable amount of evidence that steroids enhance muscular growth and strength and due to the limited research, the long-term side-effects of steroids presently remain in "doubt."

Frederick C. HatfieldPresent Steroid Expert - Fred Hatfield

This is from Fred's book , Hardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach, he discusses "Mythic Concepts About Drugs":

"Myth Two:

Without Steroids, I Can't Make the Same Gains

"Have you tried applying integrative science yet? Don't know it until you've tried it! It may take more discipline and time, [to make the same gains with steroids], but it most certainly can be done."

Steroids raise genetic potential while supplements and training only get you closer to your ultimate "natural" potential.

Present Steroid Counselor/Researcher - Neil Carolan

Neil Carolan, a steroid counselor at Bryland Hospital in Buffalo, had this to say in a November 18, 1993 edition of ABC News Primetime Live:

"You're just not going to be able to have children long-term [if you use steroids]. You're going to develop liver cancer long-term, you're going to develop testicular cancer, prostate cancer long-term."

None of these conditions have been proven to have a scientific causal relationship to anabolic steroid use in athletes!

Why Scare Tactics Don't Work

I commend Linn Goldberg and his coworkers for his study "Anabolic Steroid Education and Adolescents: Do Scare Tactics Work?" The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent athletes' opinions or level of agreement with the type of information received. The concluded that:

"... 'scare tactics' - using a negative teaching model - failed to increase student athletes' belief of any possible untoward consequences of anabolic steroids."

In order for an education program to be effective, it must have a "balanced" presentation on the positive and negative effects of steroids as well as alternatives to steroids, such as the best knowledge available on nutrition and weightlifting programs.

Dan DuchaineSteroid Activist - Dan Duchaine

Dan Duchaine is to steroids, as Timothy Leary was to LSD. Dan was a very "pro" steroid activist in the 80's. He has appeared on such television programs as 60 Minutes, The Ron Reagan Show, 20/20, Geraldo, ESPN, and Now It Can Be Told. He is the author of the Underground Steroid Handbook series, which first appeared in print in 1982. He has been convicted of steroid charges twice. Of the quotes I use below, all come from the Underground Steroid Handbook II.

HDL-cholesterol

"Although there is an argument about whether steroids truly lower HDL levels the research showing that serum cholesterol can increase while using steroids cannot be dismissed."

Without exception [perhaps there is a study or two I missed] in every medical study testing steroid-using athletes, HDL-cholesterol was significantly lower relative to non steroid-using athletes or other control groups. As far as total-cholesterol, I found that occasionally studies would demonstrate a significant increase.

The thing that bothered me about Dan, at least in the past, was his very "pro" attitude as is evident by this statement, which he now laughs about:

"... A few side effects can occur, however, it may elongate your chin, feet and hands. Diabetes in teen-agers is possible ... Massive increases in weight over such a short time can, of course, give you heart problems. We have heard of a powerlifter getting a heart attack while on GH [growth hormone]. GH use is the biggest gamble that an athlete can take, as the side effects are irreversible. Even with all that, we LOVE the stuff."

I feel Dan is very close on most of his information or at least that which I can check relative to what limited scientific research we have available on the subject. However, there is a lot of his information that has no science to support it. And in my conversations with Dan, we both agreed knowledge on steroid side-effects, as of now, is more of an "art" than a "science." So the Dan Duchaine's and the Mauro DiPasquale's are going to know more than the MD's and the PhD’s, until the MD’s and PhD’s are able to do some serious research on the subject.