Everything Sports

Shocking,to say the least, is what my reaction was to the positive test of San Diego Chargers' second-year linebacker Shawn Merriman for steroids.

Am I shocked to hear that yet another player has tested positive for steroids? No! What disturbs me is the increasing number of "commendable" athletes that are falling prey to this pressure in the form of a drug.

Shawn "Lights out" Merriman, by most indications, was supposed to be a talented and bright young player who was set to follow in the footsteps of other NFL greats like Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis. He was last year's defensive rookie of the year, which was good enough to buy him a ticket to the pro bowl as a starter. He, as I found out recently, is a regular guest on ESPN News and was (until the test) one of the leaders on one of the best defensive teams in the league; all by the age of 22.

So what would make such a promising player fall prey to using steroids knowing that the costs outweigh the benefits, if caught? Unless, Merriman had been using drugs since he was in high school, I don't see how it was extremely useful to him to take steroids since he was already the aggressive type then and didn't seem to be trying to recover from any significant injury recently. It is disappointing to see that athletes no longer care about ruining their reputations and potential legacies in order to take a short cut to success. It bothers me that it's the least expected ones that are getting caught for use of it. It makes you wonder exactly what percentage of athletes could be using some sort of drug or the other.

Merriman could still go on--after his four-game suspension--to have a great season this year, and maybe even a great career. But everytime his name is mentioned now, it would be tied to his positive drug test. His achievement's would always be asterisked by his steroid use even if he's never caught again. Perhaps, it's better to have tested now, than four or five years down the line. Since he's still pretty young in the league, maybe we may forget seven years down the road that he once tested positive. Afterall Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers also won the defensive rookie of the year honors; tested positive for steroid use; chucked it up to an innocent mistake and has escaped the wrath of doubters.

I hope Merriman comes back to prove that he's just as good a player without the steroid effect as he was when he was on it. I hope he has TRULY learnt his mistakes and I hope that it would stop others who are contemplating using it from doing so; but I know it won't. There'll still be more offenders, some that would have us scratching our heads asking why, and I'll probably have a similar type entry into my blog in the near future.

So the question is, what else is to be said to deter drug users? What else needs to be done to ensure as clean a sport as possible? Or maybe, what can one do to become immune to this pressure called steroids?

So I want to applaud my Miami Hurricanes (everyone who knows me knows that this team is the reason I know football today, hence my adoption of them as my team. No, not for the shameful brawl that is still being discussed in various national media two days after their game against the FIU Panthers. And definitely not to defend their actions like Lamar Thomas, the ex-hurricane player and analyst for Comcast sports. Thomas, on air, defended the 'Canes rights to fight back saying they had to protect their territory and how he would have loved to join the players. He later apologised saying he was caught up in the moment as a former player, but was still fired. And rightfully so.

The Canes--not to defend them--I think, basically poured their frustration on another disappointing season on the Panthers. It's not yet November and they are already out of a national championship contention. To make it worse, they may not even contend for the ACC championship. You could tell it in the way they reacted to a teammate being attacked by an FIU player.

Now, it's pretty clear and obvious that Coker needs to be fired. A lot of people argue that he cannot be fired for his players' behavior, but the truth is he can. They are his responsibility and clearly the fact that he has not managed the team properly in the past two seasons shows that he has lost control of, and possibly respect from the team. In my opinion, he should already be a lock to be replaced, but this should seal the deal. He has regressed statistically every year since he took over. He fired several assistant coaches, some without merit, and has caused the team plenty of recruits and returning players. He has also reduced several players' potential draft positions (Olsen, Phillips, Meriweather)because of the team's poor performance thus far. It is shameful that the most successful college football team to date has plummeted so deeply and so soon. It is without a doubt that it is time for some new leadership in Coral Gables.

Now back to my reason for applauding the Canes. I've always said that the Hurricanes always provide the most ready-for-NFL players straight out of the draft than any other school. And I have yet to withdraw my statement. Major props go to Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears (who scored the game winning touchdown off of a punt return against the Arizona Cardinals last night), and Frank Gore of the Oakland raiders who, despite being plagued by injuries during his college career, has turned out to be one of most productive offensive rookies this year. Since, at least in recent years, Miami's offense has become nonexistent, you would expect to see the Canes defensive players making the most impact on teams, but players like Hester, Gore and Senorice Moss(NY Giants) have shown how much individual talent exists on the Canes' roster. And for that, I say, "How bout dem Canes."

The two reporters that exposed several athletes who allegedly used steroids, most notably Barry Bonds, were sentenced to 18 months in jail on Sept. 22, 2006.

While Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle have appealed the sentencing, the case has angered several members of the media who fear that the sentencing may affect future investigative reporters’ zeal to chase after the truth.

In an ESPN article titled “Outcome for Chronicle reporters means we all lose,” writer Wright Thompson criticized the judge’s sentencing and subsequently the law saying the reporters articles and book, “…sparked a national debate that did big things like teach kids about the danger of steroids and small things like help force a sport to clean up its act.” Thompson goes on to say, “…those are the only relevant facts to me. They provided a public service, worked long hours, endured criticism and dead ends, pursuing the truth.”

However, those are not the only relevant facts. In a pat-on-the-back-bid to commend the reporters, the writer and other media members forget that the book and most of the reporters’ case was built on the grand jury testimony the athletes gave in confidentiality. To get most of the athletes to testify in the case against Victor Conte and others, each athlete was promised confidentiality in their testimonies (most of them were invited against their will). Those agreements were breached when an inside source leaked their statements to these writers, which is against the law. Why should the government be allowed to subpoena people to testify under the promise of confidentiality if the promise means nothing?

It has become a growing and disturbing trend that information offered in secrecy is being leaked out to sources in order for some people to feel like they played a part in solving a case or righting justice. In a somewhat related case, which was to be the subject of my original article, Marion Jones’ positive “A” sample for the banned substance EPO was leaked to the media; even though no information was to be released until the “B” sample was tested. Perhaps, Jones got away with a discrepancy, or perhaps she was just an innocent victim whose name was further tainted by a flawed test. Either way, her initial positive test was leaked so she would be found guilty in the court of public opinion regardless of the eventual outcome of her second test.
As an aspiring sports journalist, I am torn between rooting for the reporters who brought such an important issue into the limelight and ensuring that a confidentiality agreement is enforced whenever people are lured into testifying.

In a related article on ESPN titled “A real game of shadows,” writer Jim Caple said if a reporter cannot guarantee confidentiality, then sources would not talk. He said, “That means stories about…elected officials bending the law to serve themselves instead of you…won’t get written.” The difference is, like the Watergate scandal, these stories can still be discovered without using a source from grand jury testimonies. Grand jury testimonies should be kept confidential as initially agreed. Therefore, if any participant who agrees to those terms decides to break the law, and another aids and protects their identity, they should be held responsible and punished.