Even if there are negative impressions and comments on the recent confession of Alex Rodriguez on his steroid use, other players of the league is on his rescue. They admired Rodriguez for his admission even if it will affect his career. A-Rod admitted his steroid use during an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons on Monday. He was forced to admit it publicly when he was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 104 players who failed the steroid test in 2003.

One player who defended A-Rod’s admission is New York Mets 3B David Wright. He admired New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez for coming out and speaking publicly about his steroid use from 2001-2003. Wright said that Rodriguez made a tremendous job owning up to it and he believed that his apology was sincere. “Kids and fans alike can look at the mistake he made and take positives from that and learn from that,” Wright added.

Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who is the players’ association representative for the Red Sox, believes the situation is unfortunate on many different levels but he is glad that Rodriguez came out. “It’s an unfortunate thing to hear that. It’s also a good thing that he came out and admitted it. It’s tough. I think athletes are always put on a pedestal higher than most people in society, and sometimes it’s hard to admit something in your past. There are a lot of people in this world who have done something wrong. I’ve done things wrong but not of that nature.” Youkilis said. He added that it’s tough for people to admit to some of the things they have done wrong.

For Youkilis it is unfair that the name of a player in the list will be made public. It is supposed to be anonymous in the first place. For him, making the list public is a form of betrayal in some way. It is also unfair to just pinpoint one guy.

When asked what he thinks of the recent situation in the league specially on steroid use, Youkilis responded, “I think a lot of fans are going to think all baseball players do that stuff. That’s definitely not the case. I want the fans to know not everyone does it. It’s a small percentage and definitely baseball has cleaned up the last couple of years.”

According to sport ethicist, Stephen Mosher, the recent admission by Alex Rodriguez on his steroid abuse should not be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to entertainment sport for the last century. Mosher said that professional players are always cutting corners, looking for the ‘edge,’ and outright cheating. For Mosher it should be the institution that should be held accountable since it persists in representing sport as more than it is. “Until the institution changes or stops misrepresenting itself, the public will continue to be ‘betrayed’ on a regular basis,” he added. Stephen Mosher is a professor of sport management and media at Ithaca College and studied sports ethics and moral development.

Another player who is on the hot seat is Miguel Tejada of Houston Astros, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of misdemeanor charges. He admitted that he made false statements to Congressional investigators in 2005 about performance-enhancing drug use. Tejada faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine but is expected to receive probation.

With the confession of Alex Rodriguez on his 3 year steroid use, more baseball players are asking the executive director of the players union to release the list. The controversial list contains the names of 104 players who were tested positive for steroid use six years ago. The league conducted massive testing of their players in 2003. Players like Torii Hunter of the Angels and Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros are asking for the release of the list to the public since the confidentiality has been breached. Those players who failed the test should be indentified.

Hunter told The Times that he was upset that these names on the list came out. “Someone dropped the ball,” he said. He suggests to those 103 players to come out since Alex Rodriguez already made a public confession. Berkman believes that the release of the confidential test result is deplorable. However, he still wants to know who among the players of the league took performance enhancing drugs. Berkman added that “those of us that never taken anything like steroids or HGH or anything like that, I’d like to know who has.”

According to Union Chief Donald Fehr, it is unlikely that the list will be made public. There was an agreement between the players and the union on the anonymity of the names of the players who participated in the 2003 steroid test. “Whatever rights individual players had under those agreements have to be respected,” Fehr said. The union had already consulted with lawyers about the possibility of an investigation into the disclosure of Rodriguez’s result.

MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred also said in a statement that they are disturbed by the issue. The survey testing that took place in 2003 was intended to be non disciplinary and anonymous.

Alex Rodriguez made the confession on ESPN about his steroid use while still playing for Rangers to make him cope up with the pressure he is getting from the league. Somehow he was also influenced by other players in the league to use steroids. Although he said that he is sorry for his mistakes for those years he is on steroids.

This mess started when Sports Illustrated reported that A-Rod was positive for two anabolic steroids with Texas in 2003. He reportedly tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone. He was the American League MVP that season with the Texas Rangers and winner of the home run title. A-Rod is a three-time AL MVP, hit 553 career homers and an All-Star third baseman. He is also regarded by many as the most likely to break Bonds’ record of 762. He is now considered as one of the biggest baseball superstar and the highest paid player in baseball. His contract with the Yankees is worth $275 million for a 10 year contract.

There were many talks in the last year’s spring training that the names on the list would come out according to a source who asks not to be named since the union has a directive not to discuss internal business publicly. According to the source, they already asked the union on how they would respond if the test result was disclosed.

However, Fehr did not agree on this saying that he never recalled any confrontation in any meeting last spring training. Although he admitted that he discussed the issue to the players since federal agents already have a copy of the test results since 2004.

It is expected that Donald Fehr will discuss the issue with the players in this spring’s training.

Alex Rodriguez is now included in the growing Who’s Who lineup of drug-tainted stars that includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco.

The new drug testing policy of NASCAR shows good results since all the drivers for the mandatory test for preseason were all negative for any banned substances. Under the new policy, drivers will be required to undergo drug testing which will focus on narcotics, beta blockers and steroids. Crew members are also included in the drug test.

During the entire season at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR will conduct random testing through the help of an independent laboratory. An average of 12 to 14 crew members per series will be tested each weekend. Two drivers from each series will also undergo a drug test. A failed test by a driver will be made public while crew members who may get a positive result are excluded. Under this new policy, three failed tests will result in an automatic lifetime ban.

The new policy can be attributed to the issue in the last season where the former Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted that he competed under the influence of heroin. Drug testing is not mandatory in the past and testing was done only on “reasonable suspicion”.

According to the report from ESPN.com, the drivers from the Sprint Cup,Nationwide and Nationwide Truck Series passed their first round of drug testing. However, some crew members failed in the drug test according to NASCAR officials last week. Two crew members from the Truck Series returned a positive result for one of the substances banned by the organization. Kevin Harvick expects that there are more from the other two series.

During media day at Daytona International Speedway Harvick said that “There’s definitely more out there. There’s a lot of people that are looking for jobs right now that are straight-up people. It couldn’t have come at a better time.” He also said that he wasn’t pleased with a couple of tests they got from their team at KHI. “We had a couple of people that didn’t do so good, but that’s what it’s for. The pit crew guys have known this stuff was coming. I don’t have any tolerance for that stuff,” he added.

Most of the drivers and team owners welcomed this new policy of NASCAR. Kevin Harvick said that the policy is doing what it is supposed to. Three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson also agreed that NASCAR was right to be pro-active. Although according to him its a little bit odd to go into a room with another man and have him watch you pee in a cup.

Moreover, Johnson said that racing should be separated from other sports. He pointed out that everybody should be on top of these illegal drugs which made a lot of issues through the years. There is really a need to have a policy on this and he is glad that it is already in place.

Another positive response comes from the driver and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael Waltrip said “I love the fact that NASCAR stepped up and said that’s what we have to do.” He believes that everybody needs to be held accountable. “Racecar drivers are independent contractors. That in itself says I’m independent. The truth is, whether it’s me or some kid starting up, a lot of people’s livelihoods depend on what you do and how you act,” he added.

The 2003 Cup Champion Matt Kenseth said that NASCAR should have implemented the policy long time ago.”I don’t think there’s really anything going on we needed to catch, and yet it’s a comforting feeling when you’re out there going 200 mph knowing everybody is in the same shape that you are,” Kenseth said.

NASCAR chairman Brian France explained that the new drug testing policy for narcotics, beta blockers and steroids does not mean that they have a big problem with the riders. They implemented the new policy just to make sure they were doing everything they could to have a thorough policy.

After a year long federal investigation on the alleged use of steroids of a Canby Police officer, FBI arrested Wednesday one of his suppliers of steroids. Jake Traverso, a Canby businessman, was arrested on a multiple-drug related and theft charges. He was also released Wednesday by posting 10% of his $75,000 bail. The first hearing is set on March 3, 2009.

Traverso who is a former competitive bodybuilder, has been indicted on 7 counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, 1 count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. He was also charged with 3 counts of first-degree theft and 1 count of aggravated theft.

According to FBI agents, Traverso admitted that he sold steroids and human growth hormone to Canby Police officer Jason Deason. The agents was able to get a copy of one of the order of Deason written on a Canby police stationary dated April 30, 2002. Based on records, Deason even purchased steroids from his suppliers while on duty. Another informant also told the FBI agents that Deason usually purchase 100-pill bottles every month which costs from $300 to $350.

Jason Deason who already resigned from the service when FBI started the investigation was also expected to turn himself in. A Clackamas County grand jury indicted Deason on seven counts of first-degree official misconduct and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance last January 29. An arrest warrant was already issued.

Deason can’t be contacted to comment on the latest development of his case. Jake Traverso and his lawyer did not give any comment on the indictment.

Deason superior officer, who is also accused of protecting him in this issue, was put on paid leave since November 17. Canby Police Chief Greg Kroeplin remains on administrative leave while the city and other authorities are still conducting their investigation into his failure to act on the allegations of steroid abuse by Deason.

The investigation by the city and federal agents started when some of the people in Canby complained on the illegal activities engaged by a Canby police officer. Previous complaints on the illegal activities on Traverso’s home was also ignored by Canby Police according to some residents. With the arrest of Traverso, they said that it brought some relief and they feel safer now.

Another related story, a man was arrested in Columbus port of entry while trying to bring in 20 vials of anabolic steroids into the US. Juan Prieto-Quintana of Eagar, Arizona was arrested by the Luna County Sheriffs deputies. The officers found the vials on the front seat of the accused pick up truck.

Federal prosecutors working on the case of beleagured home run star Barry Bonds are said to be cooking up a plan: to have baseball brothers Jason and Jeremy Giambi go up the witness stand and nail the coffin shut on the doping charges laid out before Bonds. A recent article from the New York Times reported that the prosecutors are keen at having the Giambi brothers testify that Bond’s former trainer, Greg Anderson, created a doping schedule or calendar for the brothers, which was almost the same as the one he made for Barry Bonds.

However when Bonds testified and he was presented with the alleged doping calendar with his initials on them, the baseball player vehemently denied that he took performance enhancing drugs or that he had a doping schedule mapped out for him.

It was this 2007 testimony that drove prosecutors to indict Bonds in November for having committed perjury. During the indictment proceedings, the government was firm in saying that Bonds lied under oath when he said that never received performance enhancing drugs from Anderson since late 2001, when the evidence, in fact showed a doping calendar made out to Bonds for that same period. Jason Giambi, on the other hand, similarly testified before a grand jury in 2003, and was questioned and cross examined about the other doping calendars said to have been seized from Greg Anderson’s home.

These calendars were not made for Bonds, but for Giambi. The major difference in the proceedings is that Giambi admitted to receiving a steroid regimen from Anderson, and further said that he had full knowledge that he was taking peroformance enhacing steroids as part of the regimen. His elder brother Jeremy Giambi was also called to the witness stand that same day, and gave the same admission. The testimony of the Giambi brothers were disclosed by The San Francisco Chronicle in December 2004 after documents of the grand jury proceedings were leaked to the Press. By February 2005 an apologetic Jason held a news conference at the Yankee Stadium but never mentioned the word “steroids” when he addressed his fans and the baseball-following public. His reluctance to be associated with steroids seemed to be short-lived though.

In May 2007, a USA TODAY interview quoted Giambi as admitting that he had indeed used performance-enhancing drugs. Because of this, Commissioner Bud Selig compelled Jason Giambi to meet with George J. Mitchell, who at that time, was leading the investigation about the use of performance-enhancing drugs by baseball players. But despite his major league status, Giambi only spoke about his own drug use to Mitchell and did not name names or implicate other coaches.

Giambi played seven years for the Yankees and returned to Oakland during the off-season. Big brother Jeremy on the other hand, is out of the baseball picture. Besides the Giambi brothers, ESPN had reported another baseball player may be summoned to take the stand in March: Bobby Estalella, Bond’s former Giant’s teammate has also been subpoenaed for a court appearance. For sure, the steroids battle outside the baseball diamond is one match fans are eager to see the conclusion of.

Even if the financial crisis still dominates the headline news, steroids cases are also making its own headlines. Federal investigation to a country-wide steroids distribution network continued to take its momentum as more people are indicted for illegal distribution and prescriptions of prohibited substances specially steroids prescriptions to bodybuilders. The federal prosecutors have announced the indictments of four more Colorado men in this multi-state investigation.

The newest indictment was made last week to 4 people who were charged with arranging for out-of-state pharmacies to illegally supply bodybuilders with steroids. these were Brett Branch, Ronald winter, James Abernathy and Daniel Riedel.

Brett Branch who is running the Infinite Health in Eaton, is charged with 46 counts of various drug charges and money laundering. He is accused of using his business, Infinite Health, to solicit doctors to give steroids prescription for clients from local gyms and health clubs. His co-accused, Ronald Winter is charged with partnering with him to solicit clients.

Similar charges were also given to James Abernathy, 54, and Daniel Riedel, 37, of Colorado Springs. They are accused of recruiting steroid users and arranging for the filling of steroid prescriptions. The prescriptions would sometimes involved steroids intended for farm animals.

In previous reports, 3 family physicians have already entered guilty pleas in this case being handled by federal prosecutors in Mobile, Alabama. The probe also includes pharmacists at Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile which supplied steroid dealers across the country.

The doctors who pleaded guilty in the case are Doctors Scott Corliss, Kenneth Olds and Kelly Tucker. Dr. Corliss already made a guilty plea in January 2007 to withholding information about a conspiracy to write prescriptions for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances. Dr. Corliss gives the detailed scheme on how these illegal substances were given to clients. According to him, illegal prescriptions even includes human and bovine growth hormones to people who should not have received them. As a result of the plea agreement, Dr. Corliss was able to keep his job at the Greeley Medical Clinic.

The other doctors will also forfeit money that they received from writing improper prescriptions.

Another case is also making a big news in the New York police department when a NY police officer was arrested for illegal possession of steroids. The police officer was arrested when his collegues reported that he is in possesion of a controlled substance. Steven H. Lepre, a Suffolk County Police Officer, was arrested Saturday on a charge of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

According to authorities, Lepre, a 13 year old veteran, had been on extended sick leave. He was also assigned to the department’s medical evaluation section.

The officer’s arraignment was due on Sunday on the felony charge. Although the police authorities could not say what potential punishment it carries. Right now, the 43-year-old Lepre has been suspended without pay.

Steroid use is one of the primary concern of New York Police Department. They have already put up a program to deter police officers to be involved in the use of steroids and as well as in its distribution. The New YOrk police will start its random steroids testing of its 36,000 officers in July.