If there are people who are happy on the confession of Mark McGwire, it would be those who have launched anti-doping campaigns specifically against steroids. Although there are some critics saying that the decision of McGwire is too late since the admission came after almost a decade. The first to welcome the action of the baseball legend is the founder of the Efrain Anthony Marrero Foundation. Frank Marrero formed the foundation in memory of his 19 year old son who committed suicide because of steroids. In an interview with Mercury News, Marrero said that Mark McGwire should do more. “It’s good that he did come forward and admit it, but he needs to go further and join forces with foundations like ours to warn young people a the dangers of steroid use,” he said.
Frank together with his wife was present during the congressional inquiry where McGwire told them that he doesn’t want to talk about the past. For them, McGwire is not telling the truth and they know that the baseball player is using steroids. “We knew he had used steroids and we were there in Washington where it was evident he felt guilty and didn’t want to say it,” he added.
Efrain committed suicide in September 2004 after his parents told him to stop taking steroids. Frank Marrero did not know that quitting outright could lead to depression and suicide. The foundation is focused on sharing of information with youths and parents about the effects of steroids. He hopes that McGwire can also help in their crusade by sending a positive message to the youth. “We all make mistakes. But we can correct it, and Mark could help bring that message,” he said.
Don Hooton also appreciated McGwire’s decision. Hooton also established a foundation in memory of his son who also died because of steroids use. He was also present during the congressional hearing about steroid use in Major League Baseball. “When we were there, as a family, we were still in such tremendous pain. When he would say he didn’t want to talk about it, it was disappointing and painful,” recalled Don. “So to know that he recognized that and that we’ve been on his mind, is good to know,” he said. For Don Hooton, McGwire can’t be a good spokesman on steroids. “Who better to describe what it’s like to go to the mountain top and now to be at the depths of the deepest valley for a mistake you made several years ago?” he added.
Another steroid crusader, Dick Butkus immediately issued a statement regarding the admission of McGwire. Butkus is a professional football Hall of Famer. He founded the “I Play Clean” campaign which is educating the youth on the use of performance enhancing drugs. “Mark McGwire’s admission of taking illegal steroids was disappointing. But even more disappointing was the assertion that the steroid era is behind us, now that several of baseball’s biggest names have come clean. That’s like believing your home doesn’t have termites because you swept a couple off the front porch,” he said in the press release.
Butkus believes that the steroid problem will still continue unless the authorities recognize it as a serious problem. According to Butkus the latest statistics indicated a half-million teens admit to experimenting with steroids. He also pointed out that another survey said that 85 percent of teens had never received formal education about steroids. “Ending the steroids era will require everyone working together to help our next generation of athletes choose to Play Clean, using their natural talent along with training hard, eating well and playing with attitude,” said the Hall of Famer.
He also encourage people to join his crusade by taking the I Play Clean pledge and visiting his website www.iplayclean.org. “A few years ago, my son Matt and I began a grassroots educational campaign called I Play Clean™. I am humbled by the thousands of former players, current players, coaches, parents, teachers, fans and companies who are stepping up to carry the I Play Clean message to teens. Specifically, I ask everyone connected to teens and sports to take the I Play Clean pledge at www.iplayclean.org and to use the educational materials you’ll find there,” Butkus said. Becoming part of the organization will help protect teens from the dangers of steroids and at the same time helping shape the future of organized sports.
The latest result of steroid test of the 7 division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao may end up the speculations of most boxing fans. The NSAC or Nevada Sports Athletic Commission told the media that the latest test conducted on Manny Pacquiao showed negative for any performance enhancing drugs including steroids. Keith Kizer, chief of the NSAC, said that Floyd Mayweather also tested negative for any banned substances. Both fighters submitted urine samples to the commission in preparation for their fight but was later cancelled due to failed negotiation on Olympic style blood testing.
The urine sample from Pacquiao was sent to Malaysia while the urine sample of Mayweather was brought to Arizona where the laboratory tests were made. Although the result came out nine days after the stalled talks between the two camps, this will help Pacquiao prove to his fans that he is clear of any performance enhancer. The allegations of the Mayweather camp will remain purely hearsay since up to this moment they have not presented any evidence that the current pound for pound king is a steroid user.
With the cancellation of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight scheduled on March, Bob Arum immediately searched for another fighter willing to take on Pacquiao. Ghanaian Joshua Clottey, who lost to Miguel Cotto, will brawl with Pacquiao at the NFL Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13. On the other hand, Golden Boy Promotion, the promoter of Floyd Mayweather Jr. also planned to put their ward on action on the same date at MGM Grand. However, some boxing analyst says that there could be a problem finding a worthy opponent for Mayweather.
Many are still hoping that after the fight on March, both camps will talk again. One of those who were frustrated on the failed match-up was UFC’s President Dana White. In an interview, White said that it was Mayweather who caused the breakdown. “When another fighter starts dictating a drug test, first of all, Pacquiao’s never tested positive for any drug but Floyd’s going to make him go through drug testing? That’s ridiculous,” said White who had a previous spat with Floyd. “I want to see this fight. I’m dying to see this fight,” he said.
Dana White believes that the issue on drug testing should be given to the athletic commission. “That’s what the commission is there for. The athletic commission is there for the safety of the fighters. They drug test, they blood test, and they do all those other things. For another fighter to be calling out another fighter for some type of blood work is crazy. Just train for the fight and fight; that’s what everybody wants to see,” he added.
Dezzie Lightbulb of PhilBoxing.com wrote that Pacquiao’s feats could be due to the proper training he got from Freddie Roach and not from steroids. She describe Pacquiao during his early days in boxing as a light, slight southpaw, had a truckload of confidence and self-belief, and a devastating straight left that put an early end to many a boxers` ambitions. But the overconfidence of Pacquaio gave him defeats. When he met Roach, his skills were honed. “Roach took the raw diamond that was Pacquiao, and with all the skills and attention to detail of a master jeweler, shaped him to become the brilliant jewel of a boxer we see today. Pacquiao`s boxing arsenal has been transformed from a `one-shot-wonder` to that of an all-round, great boxer. Today it seems he can do just about anything in the ring. As far as I know there is no drug that can give you skills you don`t have, that is the work of a trainer,” Lightbulb wrote.
The writer dealt on many “what ifs” on Manny which fans may ask. Of course, the question of what if Pacquiao used steroids to achieve his titles is still there. Another possibility is what if Manny Pacquiao is simply the best boxer of his generation, no drugs required. “Is that really so hard to believe? I hope not, and, call me a helpless romantic if you will, but I actually find it easy to believe the beautiful, magical, amazing story of the skinny little slum-kid who conquered the world,” Lightbulb said.
Steroidsources.com is committed on bringing you the latest news related to anabolic steroids. We have compiled some of the steroid news from around the globe to give our readers up-to-date information.
Tiger Woods on a Steroid-Like VanityFair Cover
The golf legend seems to like the glamour of becoming a celebrity where the media is always after him for a new story. Online and offline news publications immediately noticed Woods’ new endeavor. Plagued with unending news on his extra marital affairs, Tiger Woods decided that he will be having a long break from the sport. Some says that this is the start of his downfall but they were surprised when Woods posed for a celebrity magazine. The Vanity Fair cover shows Tiger Woods shirtless with a well defined abs. The photo, which was taken by the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, portrayed Woods with a different character. The magazine’s February 2010 issue was already out nationwide since last week. For fans who are interested on the Tiger Woods saga, they will find more inside the celebrity magazine. They can see Woods doing various routines on lifting weights.
Another Supplement Store Recalled Products from the Market
Last year a bodybuilding site recalled its supplement products due to the possible link to steroids not approve by the FDA. This week another big distributor recalled most of its products for the same reason. MuscleMaster.com issued a press release that several of its supplement products will be voluntarily recalled nationwide. Supplement products with lots and expiration dates and sold between June 1, 2009 and November 17, 2009 were included.
In the press release, MuscleMaster.com stated that they have not received any complaints of illness or injury regarding these products but their action is in cooperation with the FDA. The FDA has intensified its campaign against nutritional and dietary supplements which may contain steroid like ingredients. Last year they issued warnings and conducted several raids on nutritional store which include Bodybuilding.com, who was also forced to recall its products. The FDA is concerned the products may present a safety risk to consumers who are taking these supplements without the agency’s approval. MuscleMaster.com did not claim that they are an internet retailer and did not manufacture or formulate these products. In the statement of Musclemaster, their decision to implement this recall is not, and should not be construed as, an admission that their decision to sell these products was in violation of the law. “In addition it is not, and should not be construed as, an admission that these products are not in compliance with the law. This recall is solely a reflection of MuscleMaster.com’s deference to the FDA’s stated concerns with these products.”
They also advised consumers to immediately stop taking the products and return it to the company. The FDA told the company that the supplement products listed below may contain steroid ingredients like Superdrol, Madol, Tren, Androstenedione, and/or Turinabol. The products included in the recall were the following:
Canadian Conditioning Coach Suspended for Administering Steroids
The Canadian Press reported that conditioning coach Valerio Moscariello was banned for 12 years for administering steroids to one of its boxer. The trainer admitted that he gave steroids particularly Deca-durabolin to national-level boxer Amanda Galle of Mississauga, Ontario. Galle was banned for two years after she tested positive for nandrolone last April. She won the Canadian boxing championships last February in Edmonton, but the title was later awarded to runner-up Alison Hunter when Galle’s doping violation was discovered in an in-competition test in Trois Rivieres, Que. according to the report.
Moscariello told the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that the deca durabolin which he personally used was mistakenly injected to the boxer. According to Paul Melia, the CCES president and CEO, the CCES has the responsibility to investigate any doping activity within the Canadian sport system, including athletes and their support personnel. “Lengthy bans of coaches and other sport support personnel can be an effective mechanism to eliminate such negative influences from the system,” he said.
Moscariello’s ban includes preventing him in participating in any level of sport. He can’t work as a conditioning coach, trainer or even as a consultant.
“They’re stronger and hungrier than me. I told Harris, the goal at the end of my shift is for me to go home safe, for my partner to go home safe.” This was the statement of a Phoenix police officer who was fired late last year for a positive test for steroids. The use of performance enhancing substances for jobs requiring physical strength and stamina is becoming popular. Their objective is to become more effective in performing their duties and responsibilities. However, most organization from sports to government and law enforcement agencies, has already established policies banning its use.
Termination of police officers due to involvement in the distribution or use of steroids is not new in the country. There were already several cases that were reported but most of them did not filed cases that question their dismissal from the service. On the other hand, Carl Ramirez of Phoenix police force filed an appeal for his termination before the Civil Service Board of the city. He argued that he was unfairly fired because the result could be a false positive due to the over-the-counter supplements he was taking. He said that he was taking the supplement Tokkyo Tren which is a steroid-supplement version of trenbolone. Ramirez added that the positive test could be the result of natural chemical reaction of the supplement.
The nature of his work and his age prompted him to engage in bodybuilding and in taking supplements. The officer was fired by Phoenix Public Safety Manager Jack Harris due to the report of his ex-wife that she found syringes at his home. Ramirez denied that he used the syringes to inject steroids. The Arizona Department of Public Safety conducts random steroid test on its officers once a year but if there are reports and suspicion of steroid use, they put an officer under mandatory testing.
Michael Ferraresi of The Arizona Republic wrote that the case of Ramirez could be used as a precedent. If the officer win his case and reinstated to the police force, other similar cases of steroid use may also follow his action. According to some union officials, the existing policy of the department fails to adequately take into account the impact of supplements and designer steroids which can be easily purchased online or over-the-counter. There are supplement products identical to steroids but they are marketed legally. According to Will Buividas, chief negotiator for PLEA (Phoenix Law Enforcement Association), the department hasn’t done a good job of educating its employees on what to take and what not to take. “These guys are taking stuff they think is legal,” he said. Although there was an informational video educating the police officers on how to get medical help or counseling for steroids, but they did not provide list of supplements with banned substances.
Based on the report of Ferraresi, Ramirez’s test result was only one-tenth above the cut-off range. The nandrolone level in his urine was only 5.1 nanograms per milliliter. Experts say that nandrolone is a naturally occurring substance in the body but using synthetic nandrolone can raise it to an abnormal level. Some legal supplements available in the market can also convert nandrolone in the body.
The union requested for a third party opinion on the Ramirez case. A well known anti-doping scientist and the pioneer in sports-drug testing Dr. Don Catlin provided factual information on the case which can improve the chances of Ramirez’ appeal. According to Dr. Catlin, the Phoenix police officer was fired despite a report that “contains factual errors about pharmacology, toxicology and laboratory finding concerning nandrolone.” He said that the supplement Tren can result in a positive test. In an analysis submitted to the PLEA, the doctor said that when Trenbolone enanthate is ingested, the body metabolizes or converts it to two metabolites of nandrolone. “Therefore the ingestion of ‘Tren‘ may produce a positive urine test for nandrolone,” he added.
HGH use has been taking the headlines for the last few months again because of the involvement of some professional athletes. It was also highlighted when a Canadian doctor was apprehended by the authorities for possibly distributing HGH to high profile athletes particularly in the major league baseball and national football league. HGH or human growth hormone is used to treat some medical condition but it becomes a major issue because athletes and bodybuilders use this drug to improve their performance in competition.
If HGH use is common in professional sports, can we say that the drug is also used in the college or high school athletics? High school coaches believe otherwise. In the article by Brian Bethel of ReporterNews.com, he wrote that most coaches in the college and high school level do not believe that HGH use should be a major concern as compared to other performance enhancing drugs banned by athletic associations. The use of human growth hormone is also included in the banned list of athletic associations conducting anti-doping tests.
Absence of HGh use in the high school level does not mean that local sports authorities should lay their guards down. For them, continued information campaign should be implemented to deter athletes from taking this drug. According to Cooper High School head football coach Mike Spradlin, it is always included in their discussion with young athletes especially on the issue of taking supplements. “It’s absolutely something we talk to our kids about. We really preach up here about doing things the right way,” he said. Coach Spradlin said that the use of steroids and HGH by baseball star Mark McGwire is considered cheating.
Coaches and sports officials of the Abeline Christian University also said that they never encountered athletes using HGH. “I’ve never run into an athlete who’s used it at the college level,” said Cory Driskill, head athletic trainer of the university. According to the executive director of the Abilene Youth Sports Authority, Jon Smith, the school is not totally immune from steroid or HGH use. He added that he have not heard any HGH use by young athletes.
The use of performance enhancing drugs can be avoided through continuous education of the athletes. Most High school athletics officials regularly conduct consultations and advice student athletes on how to achieve their goals. Football coach Steve Warren of Abilene High School said that through the high school athletics program, they were able to regularly emphasize that taking shortcuts only cheats those who take them. “There’s no substitute for just getting your tail in that weight room and just busting it,” the coach said.
The NCAA, UIL, and other interscholastic athletic associations regularly conduct steroid testing on student athletes. Students who will be caught using any performance enhancer will be given sanctions. The penalty varies but the worst is being banned in participating in any competition. To effectively implement the anti-doping programs of schools, some states allocated funds to support the program. Some school organization expanded their steroid testing program like the IHSA and NJSIAA. Even if there were previous studies that the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in the college and high school level is rampant, the results of the tests were not alarming. In the recent report of the UIL or University Interscholastic League, the number of athletes caught using steroids is minimal. Out of the 16,260 students tested, there were only 8 student athletes who were confirmed positive for a prohibited substance.
Researchers from the Michigan State University concluded that adolescents particularly males were more prone to changes in behavior when given anabolic androgenic steroids. The research team headed by Kaliris Salas-Ramirez conducted a series of experiments in Cheryl Sisk’s laboratory of the university. Their objective is to compare the effects of administering steroids to adolescent and adult males. The results were published in the Behavioural Brain Research Journal.
Although the study was conducted on male Syrian hamsters, the researchers still believes that the results were significant. They found out that the effects of steroids were more eminent to adolescents rather than in adult hamsters. It causes some changes in their behavioral patterns when on continuous intake of steroids for two weeks as compared to the group given with a placebo. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids are commonly used by professional athletes and bodybuilders to build muscle mass and strength. Previous studies say that continuous use of anabolic steroids may harm the kidneys and may cause other complications. With this study, it was noted that steroids can also alter the behavior of the user when taken for longer period.
In the experiment, the group injected the male Syrian hamsters with either steroids or a placebo everyday for two weeks. 50 percent of the hamsters were given steroid shots during their adolescence which is between 27 to 41 days of age. On the other hand, the remaining group received steroids after becoming an adult which is from 63 to 77 days of age. The behavior of the hamsters were observed at the first two weeks of the experiment and another obervation was made after stopping the steroid injections four weeks later. The criteria used by the researchers include the changes in the mating and aggressiveness patterns of the subjects.
The researchers administered large doses of steroids which is similar to the steroid intake of chronic human users. “An androgenic anabolic steroids or AAS cocktail, in doses comparable to what a heavy or chronic anabolic steroid human user would administer, led to reduced potential for sexual satiety that persisted at least four weeks beyond the exposure to AAS, whether subjects were treated in adolescence or adulthood,” according to the report. They also added that AAS resulted in persistent increases in aggressive behaviors and flank marking, regardless of the age at which exposure to AAS occurred. The report also explained that flank marking is a testosterone-modulated scent marking behavior that communicates dominance status between adult male Syrian hamsters. The result also suggests that the brains of young adults are vulnerable to the effects of steroids and suffers long-term behavioral and physical changes.
The results, according to the researchers, can help authorities address the steroid problem among the youths. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that steroid use in teenagers are increasing and the abuse of this drug reach the highest number in 2000. The survey of the institute prompted some states to intensify their steroid testing programs in high schools. Texas and Illinois were some of the states with strict implementation of the steroid testing. However, some states reduced their budget or completely abolished the program due to its effectiveness. Some questions the program if it can really deter steroid use in the youths.
If there are people who are happy on the confession of Mark McGwire, it would be those who have launched anti-doping campaigns specifically against steroids. Although there are some critics saying that the decision of McGwire is too late since the admission came after almost a decade. The first to welcome the action of the baseball legend is the founder of the Efrain Anthony Marrero Foundation. Frank Marrero formed the foundation in memory of his 19 year old son who committed suicide because of steroids. In an interview with Mercury News, Marrero said that Mark McGwire should do more. “It’s good that he did come forward and admit it, but he needs to go further and join forces with foundations like ours to warn young people a the dangers of steroid use,” he said.
The golf legend seems to like the glamour of becoming a celebrity where the media is always after him for a new story. Online and offline news publications immediately noticed Woods’ new endeavor. Plagued with unending news on his extra marital affairs, 
“They’re stronger and hungrier than me. I told Harris, the goal at the end of my shift is for me to go home safe, for my partner to go home safe.” This was the statement of a Phoenix police officer who was fired late last year for a positive test for steroids. The use of performance enhancing substances for jobs requiring 
Researchers from the Michigan State University concluded that adolescents particularly males were more prone to changes in behavior when given