Alex Rodriguez will face MLB investigators for his admission of using performance enhancing drug from 2001 to 2003. MLB VP of labor relations Rob Manfred said that the meeting will shed light on the issue. According to Manfred, “Being an investigative interview, the employee is required to answer questions subject to the ruling in the Ferguson Jenkins case in relationship to self-incrimination.” He disputed some reports that Rodriguez would just be able to brush off the majority of the questions during the meeting.

The people who will be present in the investigation includes Dan Mullin, the MLB VP for investigations, Rob Manfred, VP for labor relations, and general counsel Michael Weiner from the MLB Players Association. It is still unclear whether Rodriguez will be permitted to bring his own legal counsel during the meeting.

The questions of MLB investigators will surely focus on A-Rod’s detailed aspects of his steroid use from 2001-03. Involvement of Rodriguez’ cousin, Yuri Sucart, is also one of the issues that will be discussed. In previous interviews, A-Rod mentioned an unnamed cousin who acted as both his supplier and injector of a drug known as “Boli”. It was later revealed that it was Sucart.

Rodriguez was already ordered to keep his cousin away from all ballparks and team-related locations such as hotels by the Yankees officials.

The relationship of A-Rod to his tainted trainer Angel Presinal will be part of the discussion. During the 2007 season, Presinal worked with Rodriguez. Presinal is a popular trainer in the Dominican Republic who has worked with the country’s World Baseball Classic team in both 2006 and ‘09. It is also expected that the investigators will also ask A-Rod about other players who also used steroids or any performance enhancing drugs.

Meanwhile, the CBS News/NY Times Survey on A-Rod’s use of steroids returns an unfavorable results. Baseball fans believed that he should not be considered in the Hall Of Fame. His admission was viewed negatively by more than 4 in 10 baseball fans. Almost 50 percent of the respondents said that A-Rod should be kept out of the Hall of Fame.

One good finding of this poll was the belief of many fans that steroid use is not yet widespread in baseball. Only 15% says that players used banned performance enhancing substances while the majority still believes that there are only a few players who used banned drugs.

Another finding of the survey is the concern of the fans on the use of steroid in baseball. The survey revealed that 60% says they care a lot about steroid use. This figure is higher than the survey conducted last year. Although they are now more tolerant as compared to the time of Barry Bonds 2 years ago. This can be noted in this weeks game of Alex Rodriguez where thousands of fans cheers for him.

The total number of respondents for this survey totaled to 1,112 adults nationwide. They were asked thru phones-landline and mobile. It conforms with the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public polls.”We all know he can play baseball,” Jackson said. “What we saw today was that he has the ability to concentrate,” said Reggi Jackson, one of the vocal supporters of A-Rod.

Prominent people from sports organization, media, educational institution, and professional athletes were invited by New York University to talk on the effects of steroid use among athletes. The students were invited to attend this seminar specially the NYU’S undergraduate sports management program. The purpose of this event is to get more insight into continous use of steroids. This event coincides with the 9th Annual Cal Ramsey Lecture Series in Sports Management. This was held at the New York Marriott Hotel last Thursday.

The guests were given and asked with hypothetical situations related to performance enhancing drugs and steroids. The panel consists of 13 prominent people in sports which include the NYU President John Sexton who is also a sports fan. Included in the panel were Craig Esherick,former basketball coach of Georgetown University; Ato Boldin,four-time Olympic track and field medalist and Michael Cramer, the president of the Texas Rangers. He was the president of the team when Alex Rodriguez was using performance-enhancing drugs. Arthur R. Miller who is a law professor in NYU acted as the facilitator.

One of the situations asked from the panel is about “Pete” who wanted to turn to steroids because of his dream to be in the pro. Pete is a high school athlete and a top prospect for professional sporting organizations. Esherik responded that he would tell Pete to get a great academic career as well as a chance to make it at the pros.

Lawyer for CNN, J. Ryan Smith said the parents should also take part in the blame why student athletes turns to steroids. “The typical parent does not tell their son when they go to college that they will be at their graduation,” Smith said. “Nowadays, parents just want Pete to play on ABC every Sunday.” The pressure from parents is a great factor on their childs involvement in the use of any performance enhancing drugs. Athletes sometimes take steroids in college because they see no downside according to Smith. Making it to the pros and getting a big contract is all that matters to many athletes.

One of the problems identified by Cramer is the diffulty to determine if a player is using steroids or just taking ordinary supplements. This was seconded by NYU’s clinical associate Dr. Gary Wadler. “Steroids are not as clear-cut as one might think. For example, dietary supplements do absolutely nothing for most people and overall they are very hard to distinguish,” Wadler said.

The Sam Houston State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative (ADAI) also conducted an activity in connection with the start of baseball season and at the same time educate the students about smoking, drugs, and alcohol. Also included in the activities is the education about anabolic steroids and ergogenic aids.

According to Dr. Rosanne Keathley, coordinator of ADAI and associate professor of health, Ergogenic aids are supplements that promise to build lean muscle tissue but then cause heart, liver, and lung problems. She said that a lot of college students use ergogenic aids. Although ergogenic aids are not classified as steroids but still they the same promises and can be just as harmful.

The risk of drafting MLB players who may have taken performance-enhancing drugs was also discussed in the event. “It was to show the harmful effects steroids can have on one’s physical well-being in a professional career,” Dr. Keathley said.

Another author and scientist visited the Cerritos Library in Bloomfield Avenue California to discuss her book “The Night Olympic Team: Fighting to Keep Drugs out of the Games.” Author Caroline Hatton talks about the problems and issues of using performance enhancing drugs in sports.

The issue on whether the MLB failed to do its part in controlling the rampant use of illegal substances in their league is still a big question. Officials of the league says that they were able to “fixed” steroid scandals in baseball and should be considered as a past issue. The steroid testing program is also being questioned if it is really effective in preventing athletes from taking prohibited substances while playing in the league.

According to James Deacon of AOL Sports, the officials of the league and the union bosses have turned a blind eye to the cheating for too long. Commissioner Selig could and should have done it a decade ago and allow random tests year-round. Deacon added that the league have to hand over the administration of the tests to an independent body such as the World Anti-Doping Agency. “It isn’t fool-proof — players will always try to gain an edge and testers invariably lag behind cheaters — but WADA is the closest thing to state-of-the-art right now.”

Moreover, Deacon believes that by handing the chores to WADA they would immediately give the process as much credibility as possible. “It would fire a warning shot over cheaters’ bows, and it would let fans and customers of the game know that baseball’s proprietors are serious about cleaning things up,” he said.

Why is it that WADA is the most reliable organization that could handle drug testing for MLB and other professional sports? A brief history of WADA will show that this agency is an independent body like what Deacon says.

On November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to monitor and counter the rising use of drugs and steroids in the world of sports, particularly in the Olympics. It was a collective effort led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), although it remains an independent foundation until today. In 2001, the agency voted to move its main headquarters in Montreal, Canada. John Fahey, former Australian finance minister, is the current chairman of WADA, succeeding Richard Pound, who was former vice-president of the IOC and staunch opponent of drug-use, as well as steroid-use in sports. It is on record that the former president is not in good terms with MLB.

They developed the World Anti-Doping Code which was first implemented by sports organizations in 2004. Its first implementation was prior to the Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece. It was the first time that the rules and regulations for anti-doping were harmonized across all sports and participating countries. To date, about 600 sports organizations have adopted the World-Anti Doping Code, including international sports organizations, International Olympic Committee, national anti-doping organizations, International Paralympic Committee and various professional leagues around the world.

The latest revisions in the World Anti-Doping Code were made in November 2007, incorporating the experience gained from implementing the initial code. Most of these revisions, which include more stringent measures for fighting doping in sports, will take effect on January 2009. Because the World Anti-Doping code is a non-governmental document, many governments cannot be legally bound by its stipulations. It is implemented through the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport, by individual ratification and is the first global international treaty against doping in sports. To date, more than 100 governments have ratified the international convention since the UNESCO General Conference held on October 2005.

Although WADA President John Fahey said that he did not want to meddle in baseball’s business. Right now there was already an improvement in the cooperation after years of tense relations between MLB and former WADA president Dick Pound. “There does not seem to be any resistance on their part now as there was in the previous years and there is none from us. They have made significant strides in last couple of years,” Fahey said.

Moreover, Fahey suggested that MLB should be more transparent in implementing the steroid testing program.

While the steroid related stories in major league baseball seems to be unending, steroid issues still plague other leagues like NFL. The recent report published in the March issue of the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation shows that injuries of previous NFL players can be attributed to their steroid use when still active in the game. This may be alarming but the number of users in professional sports seems to grow more regardless of its risks and consequences. Players are more concerned with the fame and income rather than their health and loss of career.

This new survey was conducted by the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. The study was focused on retired NFL players from the 1940s to the 1990s. This is said to be one of the most comprehensive study on steroid use, in professional athletes. There are 2,552 retired NFL players who served as respondents to this study.

The findings showed that some injuries and other health problems were due to the use of performance enhancement drugs and anabolic steroids. Those players who used steroids had significantly higher percentage of herniated disks and knee ligament and meniscus injuries. Added to these injuries are neck, spine, foot, elbow and toe problems. These results were compared to non-steroid users. The researchers also found a link between steroid use and depression including attention deficit disorder. Players who used steroids are also noted to have increased their alcohol consumption.

Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC’s department of exercise and sport science director, said that their findings speak to the “snowball effect” or compounded medical problems that appear to accompany steroid use. “As we studied retired NFL football players, we found that those who had been into the heavy use of steroids during their playing career were more likely to sustain musculoskeletal injuries than those who did not use steroids,” added Kevin Guskiewicz who is a senior author of the study. The study was headed by Scott Horn, DO, of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the UNC School of Medicine

The increased weight of the muscle mass which was due to steroid use could be the results of these musculoskeletal injuries. It puts extra stress on joints that eventually wears them down. Joint injuries of the players which can then lead to osteoarthritis makes them physically inactive. These could also lead to cardiac problems, diabetes and depression.

9.1 percent of the respondents said they have used anabolic-androgenic steroids while 20.3 percent of the players in the 1980s said they had tried the drugs. There are 16.3% of the offensive linemen and 14.8% defensive linemen who used steroids.

The researchers contacted almost 3,700 members of the NFL Retired Players Association but only 2,552 former pro football players answered questions on their use of performance-enhancing steroids and the musculoskeletal injuries they suffered during their playing years. These respondents were assured of the confidentiality of their identities according to the researchers.

However, other experts commented on the result of the study. They have noted some flaws in the research process. Freddie H. Fu, MD, of University of Pittsburgh, Department of Orthopedic Surgery questioned the survey’s accuracy and design. Dr Fu noted that the respondents may not have understood the survey. The researchers also failed to disclose if the respondents underwent a physical examination to validate the claims. According to Dr. Linn Goldberg, the study does have its flaws. Goldberg is a professor of medicine and head of the division of health promotion and sports medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.

Steroid testing in most high schools in US States was due to the controversies and scandals by professional athletes. Steroid use among professional athletes were rampant as what is being portrayed in the media and from congressional inquiries. Lawmakers and athletic organizations immediately implemented programs that would deter any young athlete to try any performance enhancing drugs and other banned substances. Texas steroid testing program for example is one of the most comprehensive program for high school students which was also followed by other states.

In Illinois, the drug testing program for high school students is successfull according to IHSA. The Illinois High School Association reported that the new drug-testing program has been successful in discouraging the use of performance enhancing drugs among teens. This is supported by the result of the drug test conducted on different high schools under their supervision. According to Kurt Gibson, IHSA assistant executive director, 264 students in the entire state went through the random testing program in the fall and none of these students were found to be violating the association’s policies.

Gibson who is also working on the sports-medicine issues for IHSA is not surprised on the result. “The purpose of our program has been to serve as a deterrent. From the feedback we received in the fall from parents and coaches, people were taking that program seriously.” Gibson said.

Although the test found 6 students who were positive for stimulants or anabolic steroids but they were granted “medical exceptions” and weren’t punished. Based on the investigations conducted by the association, the students are taking these substances because of health conditions. These were the results of medicines they were taking. The test on athletes were conducted in post-season play.

It is the policy of IHSA to suspend any athlete who tests positive and doesn’t have a valid medical excuse or refuses to provide a sample. They can’t also participate in any IHSA-sanctioned competitions for the whole year and forfeit any honors earned while in violation.

Some of the substances banned by the IHSA are stimulants, anabolic steroids such as androstenediol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and Oxandrolone. It also includes diuretics, peptide hormones and analogues.

Drug testing in Illinois high schools is being carried out by Drug Free Sports which also select athletes for testing. The urine samples are analyzed at the University of California at Los Angeles, and results are available after two weeks. The test on steroid is conducted on 108 students and test for stimulants on 156 students.

According to Gibson, the test for winter sports has already begun but results are not yet available.

On the other hand, Florida will no longer implement steroid testing to its high school students because of no funding from the government. According to state officials, in the tough economy, they can’t justify spending the $100,000. The tests which were randomly administered at 53 schools costs $166 per student. Florida High School Athletic Association spokeswoman Cristina Alvarez understands the situation. She said that money has to go to certain things right now to help the entire state not just one association.

The Florida High School Athletics Association supervises the testing of its 426 public schools and 224 private schools members since July 2007. FHSAA sanctions any athlete who refused to provide a urine sample would be ineligible to remain on the team. Those who test positive would be suspended from the team, but could be reinstated if they pass a follow-up test later.

Will Brinson of Mouthpiecesports.com reacted on this issue. He said that State money must certainly needs to be directed towards programs designed to benefit society as a whole, making this move understandable. “What makes the whole process deplorable, though, is the fact that Congress continues to plow through millions of dollars in an effort to hawk down admitted steroid users and alleged perjurers” he added. The government should stop wasting money chasing the old cheaters but it would be more sensible to deter youngsters at an earlier level.

Most of the leading news agencies’ headlines include the controversial confession of Alex Rodriguez on his steroid use for 3 years. Readers would always think of baseball or football when the topic on the use of performance enhancing drugs is mentioned. However, other stories on steroids and other related banned substances are also making headlines in other field or profession aside from sports.

Even ordinary employees are also involved in steroid use. Recently, an employee in the Martin County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested for illegal possession of anabolic steroids. Brent Smith, 35, who is a computer technician, was charged with possession of a controlled substance. He was caught having three 10 ml. vials of steroids when detectives executed a search warrant at his home last Thursday.

Smith was taken to the Martin County Jail but was released after posting $5,000 bond. According to the spokeswoman of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Smith is non-sworn, civilian employee and has been placed on administrative leave with pay while the investigation is still on going.

In Australia, master cyclist Andrew Burne has received a 2 year ban from Cycling Australia after he was tested positive for steroids. Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority tested Burne at the World Track Masters Championships in Sydney last October. The test returned a positive result for nandrolone and drostanolone.

Aside from the sanction, Burne will also lose the medals and prizes he received from the competition and this would even include succeeding competitions that he participated in. Burne will return 3 golds and his best record in the 2008 Masters event will be forfeited. He will be ineligible to participate in any professional Australian sport as an athlete or support another until December 17, 2010 which is the end of his ban.

A doctor was also arrested for illegal prescription of steroids and human growth hormones. Dr. Richard Lucente, 37, of Staten Island, was indicted by Brooklyn grand jury and charged him with 153 counts for illegal prescription. It also includes one charge of reckless endangerment in the death of a bodybuilder who died from the effects of steroids.

Investigation by the New York Police on cops using performance enhancement drugs leads to Dr. Lucente’s arrest. The steroid investigations implicated 6 officers and were already given various forms of discipline by the department. A Bay Ridge pharmacy, Lowen’s Pharmacy, who filled prescriptions written by Lucente for bodybuilders and weightlifters using steroids and human growth hormones, was also indicted. One of the owners of the pharmacy committed suicide last year when they were implicated in the investigation.

According to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, Lucente would steer users from various gyms to Lowen’s Pharmacy in exchange for $30,000 in kickbacks. Although Hynes did not directly named Lucente prescribing performance enhancing drugs to police officers but other law enforcement official confirms that some cops were clients of the doctor. Lucente owns the New York Anti-Aging and Wellness Center on Staten Island.

A bodybuilder who had a previous steroid abuse died in 2007 from the effects of taking steroids and human growth hormone prescribed by Dr. Lucente. The death of Joe Baglio was blamed to Lucente since he already knew the condition of the bodybuilder but still made the prescriptions.

Dr. Lucente posted $20,000 bail for his release and he pleaded not guilty in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. If convicted, he will face a maximum of 7 years imprisonment.