Steroids and Football

IN 1987 the NFL (National Football League) in the United States began testing players for anabolic steroids, which are synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. Although the tests revealed that nearly 100 of the 1,600 players in the league were using the drugs, there were no suspensions. The situation remained the same during the 1988 season​—the preseason tests for steroids exposed common use of the drugs, yet again there were no suspensions. But soon after the 1988 season started, changes were proposed.

The use of steroids during the 1988 Olympics, along with the stiff penalties imposed, no doubt was a factor. Dr. Robert Voy, the chief medical officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee, noted the heavy use of steroids in football. “What most people do not realize is that athletes on steroids become mean and aggressive,” he said. “Their girlfriends and wives can tell you about that.”

Furthermore, steroids give their users a real advantage. A rookie lineman in the NFL said: “I played against a lot of guys that I know for a fact were using steroids. I played them one year, the next year they come back 15 pounds [7 kg] heavier, stronger and they looked different. They played better and hit harder. That was one piece of the pie in my decision. I will do anything to become the best lineman in the N.F.L.”

However, the use of steroids has serious side effects, including liver damage, and in time they can kill. So, starting with the 1989 NFL season, it is proposed that players who test positive for steroids in several successive tests will be subject to a permanent ban from the NFL. Former League commissioner Pete Rozelle explains: “We know the dangers of steroids to the body and we want to do all we can so that players enjoy a quality of life after their football careers.”