Monday, October 23, 2006
Shawn Merriman's positive steroid result
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?
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?
