Dallas Asst Coach Suspended For Performance Enhancers

[Oakland Red]

Yes, it seems obvious that he was going to distribute it to the other players.

I remember a wonderful vignette from Dexter Manley's autobiography of interest. The NFL official in charge of inspecting players for use of banned substances was going around to each team to give talks. All the Redskins' players were assembled to hear this man give a talk about the drug testing process, but the coaches were not in the room, including Coach Gibbs.

The NFL official actually started telling the players how to beat the drug testing process. When this happened, Coach Gibbs came into the room. He was shocked and angered, and then took the NFL official aside and indignantly said, "Don't tell them how to beat the testing!"

This was widely reported in the newspapers after appearing in Manley's autobiography, and denied to my knowledge by no one.

The event happened during the period when Pete Rozelle was commissioner of the NFL. I'm not saying there is any information indicating he was abreast of what his drug testing official was doing, but I would imagine he did know.

This is what is missing from the discussion about steroids in sports - the fact that the sports leagues in the past have condoned secretly the use of these substances, while hypocritically appearing to oppose them publicly.

Major League Baseball has long known about the use of steroids by its players and implicitly condoned it. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire are two of a huge number of players in baseball who used steroids, pitchers included. This has taken place with the leagues' knowledge and implicit, hypocritical support, so as to get players to perform at a higher level. Of course, better play from the players gets fans more interested in their business product. But of course it is dishonest. The league says one thing publicly, and then does another behind the public's back.

The real issue in the steroid debate is what the leagues have done.