The use of steroids by professional athletes and sports persons is an open secret now. The stories about pro sports stars taking steroids in sports led sports organizations and leagues to fabricate strict polices on steroids.
Presently, steroids stand banned by the International Olympic Committee, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and many professional sports leagues including the Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League.
The National Football League (NFL) brought out its policy of steroids in football as early as 1987. The NFL banned the use of steroids in football players because steroids have potentially dangerous side effects and they give players an unfair advantage.
Lyle Alzado is probably the most famous instances of the use of steroids in football. The Brooklyn, New York born footballer, Alzado is one of the most remembered US sports stars to admit to abuse of steroids in football. Alzado, who died of brain cancer at the age of 43, asserted that his use of steroids in football directly led to his final illness. Using natural growth hormone, harvested from human corpses, as opposed to synthetic growth hormones, Alzado now lies buried at River View Cemetery in Portland.
Vernon, Connecticut born Bill Romanowski is another famous instance of the use of steroids in football. Romanowski was infamous for his altercations in game. Romanowski revealed in a book that he was using steroids in football, and he was introduced to several performance enhancing compounds, notably anabolic steroids by Victor Conte, the founder and president of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO).
Upper Marlboro, Maryland born – Shawne Merriman – an American football outside linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL was suspended for using steroids in football in 2006. On October 22, 2006, reports were made public by CNN that Merriman would face a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL’s steroid policy.
On October 22, 2006, CNN reported that Merriman would face a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL’s steroid policy. Chris Mortensen of ESPN cited a source that claimed the suspension was “definitely for steroid use and not a ‘supplement-type’ suspension.”
Later, Merriman in a press conference admitted, “Yes, I did something unknowingly, but at the same time I did something that was against the policy…”. On May 5th 2007, Merriman in an interview with the North County Times stated that he took a tainted nutritional supplement.
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