The NFL’s last resort failed when a federal judge ruled that the Starcaps case of Minnesota Vikings Pat and Kevin Williams should be heard at a state court. In a 3 page order issued by U.S. Judge Paul Magnuson, the case must be heard at the District Court of Hennepin. The NFL’s action seemed calculated only to avoid trial on the merits said in the decision. The trial is scheduled on Monday and will be presided by Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson.

The case, which is already more than a year, became a big issue in the league because of the strict liability policy of the NFL. However, the Williamses argued in court that the league failed to inform players about the tainted supplement Starcap. There were reports that the league already knows that the Starcaps contain a banned substance, bumetanide. It is a diuretic which can mask the use of steroids. As a weight loss supplement, it can be purchased over-the-counter. They also contend that under the Minnesota laws, employees should be given an opportunity to explain the innocent use of an otherwise banned product and that the NFL didn’t allow them to explain their use of StarCaps.

According to their lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, the league has erratically managed the policy and kept obviously important information from the players. Ginsberg criticized how the NFL implemented its policy but still believes that there will be some changes after the trial. “We believe strongly that the NFL’s steroid policy has the potential of being the best organized sports (anti-doping) program. Unfortunately, the NFL has manipulated and mismanaged that policy, so our hope is the policy, after this trial, will be stronger and better,” said Ginsberg.

In a statement given by NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, he referred to the lawsuit as a state law end-around that can undermine all anti-doping policies in sports. “Most of the claims in the state law case have already been dismissed. But for an anti-doping policy to be effective on (a) national basis for leagues that have teams in many states, there must be uniform standards that cannot be cherry-picked state-by-state based on different state laws,” said Aiello.

The trial on Monday will summon top league officials, labor representatives and representatives from the Vikings. Some of the personalities who will be testifying in court are NFLPA player development director Stacy Robinson, Commissioner Roger Goodell and Vikings coach Brad Childress.

Other labor law experts believe that the Starcaps case will affect several sports organization in implementing their anti-doping policy. According to Professor Angela Cornell of Cornell Law School, the lawsuit could make it more difficult for the NFL and other leagues to uniformly enforce their drug policies. However, the case could help clarify issues on privacy rights. “Certainly we all want to have uniform drug policies in major league sports, because that would be helpful. But that doesn’t mean that we want to deprive states of their ability to pass threshold protection for employees,” she said.

Aside from the dispute on the anti-doping policy of the league, the players are also asking for moral damages and lost economic opportunities. In a statement given to the AP, Ginsberg said, “As a result of the way the NFL has handled its testing and its responsibility to keep confidential certain matters, Kevin and Pat’s reputation has been tainted. They have been lumped with steroid users, people who have tried to mask steroid use.”

In the previous months, the FDA was busy issuing warning letters and even raided some sports nutrition companies for allegedly selling unapproved dietary supplements which may harm the consumers. The agency found several sports supplements that contains controlled substances specifically synthetic anabolic steroids or with steroid-like ingredients. Some companies have pulled out their products from the market in compliance with the FDA directive and to avoid possible charges for selling illegal supplements. However, with the large market for sports nutrition supplements, the FDA has to continue its efforts in monitoring and stopping the illegal market strategies of some sports nutrition companies.

According to industry reports, there is a continuous increase in the demand for sports supplements for the past years. The Nutrition Business Journal reported that the supplements industry grew at 7.6 percent to $2.7 billion in sales for 2008. Consumers who used sports nutrition products were reported to reach 22% in 2009 based on the report from NMI’s 2009 Health & Wellness Trends Database. The sports nutrition category include products such as amino acids, creatine, protein powders, sports hydration drinks, sports nutrition bars and other sports nutrition supplements.

Sports nutrition supplements became a necessity for many professional athletes. But because of some ingredients banned by sports organizations, it has caused some athletes’ career in demise. An of example of that is the case of U.S. Olympic swimmer Jessica Hardy who was banned in participating in the previous Olympics due to a banned stimulant, clenbuterol. She said that the dietary supplement she was taking has caused the positive test. Greek track and field athlete and Olympian Fani Halkia faced the same charges.

Several Chinese swimmers in the Beijing olympics were also banned due to tainted supplements. The list of professional athletes facing sanctions because of sports supplements is increasing. The recent case is the suspension of ex-NBA player Juan Dixon due to a positive test for steroids. Dixon admits that he is a supplements junkie but denied using any anabolic steroids to enhance performance. Actually he is one of the few athletes who supports anti-steroid campaign.

According to representatives of established and reputable sports nutrition companies, industry players could help the FDA in its effort to stop tainted dietary supplement products. One of the ways to ensure the safety of the consumer is to adopt GMP’s or good manufacturing practices in their companies. Alissa Marrapodi of Natural Products Insider website interviewed some of the sport nutrition companies’ representatives and provided insights on the issue. Patrick Luchsinger, marketing manager of Lipid Nutrition, said that the supply chain needs can be better guarded with ongoing GMP certifications and quality assurance education. “From a supplier point of view, the aftermath of the recent ingredient scandals involving sub-standard suppliers, activists, members of Congress and FDA are demanding action to prevent poor-quality ingredients reaching the consumer,” he said.

Nutra Bridge President Scott Steil also shares the same concern. “Given the upward shift in both health education and individual responsibility for maintaining one’s own health, consumers have clearly made living a healthy, active lifestyle a priority. The robust growth in the sports nutrition market proves supplements are a core part of such a commitment,” he said. Sports nutrition companies’ main priority should be the safety of the consumers since the consumer base is expanding from the hard-core bodybuilders to people who are just health conscious according to Nutratech President Bob Green. “The industry was all about bulking up, bodybuilding and performance enhancement; but today, sports nutrition products are attracting a much broader, mass audience. We’re now dealing with a new generation of consumers who have grown up knowing an active lifestyle has positive, long-term implications for health, fitness, weight management and longevity,” said Green.

Chief operating officer of OmniActive Health Technologies, Abhijit Bhattacharya, agreed to make the supply chain in the supplements industry undergo scrutiny. “Adulteration, mislabeling, sub-optimal levels or deliberate spiking of supplements with inappropriate or unauthorized ingredients are some of the undesirable practices of a few unscrupulous suppliers,” he said. “With the new GMPs coming into force, responsible suppliers and formulators will be able to cooperate in assuring each other and the end consumers that the products entering the market contain the right level of ingredients,” said Bhattacharya. To ensure the success of this effort, manufacturers should focus on product safety by undergoing safety certifications such as ISO-22000 food safety management systems and well-documented product literature.

To regain consumer trust, a good partnership between players in the sports nutrition industry should take place from the ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, marketing companies to retailers. More resources should be allocated to research and clinical studies to determine the safety of the ingredients used in sports supplements.

One of the baseball’s home run record breaker, Barry Bonds is still silent whether he has the intention to be back in baseball. He might be busy right now in rebuilding his personal life after having a not so good relationship with his wife and probably preoccupied by the steroid perjury case against him. His wife already filed for divorce.

Former Giants manager Felipe Alou, now a special assistant is hoping that Barry Bonds will come back to help the team in some ways just like Mark McGwire who was hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as a hitting coach. He told Mercury News many things about Bonds. “I hope somehow he will come back in some capacity, even if it’s just to be at the ballpark. He’s just like Willie Mays to me — one of the greatest to ever play the game,” he said. He also compared Bonds with Mark’s statistics. “McGwire never won any batting titles, did he? McGwire was a great home run hitter. Barry was a great hitter, period. He was a great student of hitting,” said the former Giant’s manager.

Bonds’ great performance in the field could bring a lot for the Giants. He can share a lot of things to the new prospects of the team as well as serve as one of the training coaches. “The home runs were just one part of his career,” said Alou. “This is a guy who was a great outfielder, a destructive baserunner, a smart player. There’s a lot he could bring. But I don’t know if he’s interested,” he added. However, Alou did not mention if the steroid allegations against Bonds will affect his return.

Bonds retirement from baseball is not yet final since there are still some problems to be settled with the league. And of course, his long battle with the perjury case is not yet over. He is bound by a 10-year personal-services contract with the Giants after retirement. But the Giants may wait longer if the problem is not settled soon. Baseball fans seldom see the home run king in baseball parks. His last appearance was last April when he attended a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

President Larry Baer is also optimistic that Bonds’ appearance in Giants games will become more frequent. “I’ll say this: I do expect he will be at the ballpark this year,” he said. “We’re in pretty good touch with him. He’s got some stuff to get through, and we’ll see where things go for him in his life. His situation is different (from McGwire’s) in a lot of ways,” he added. Baer shared how Bonds can influence and inspire players. “I can tell you we certainly enjoyed him when he came for our reunions, that was in 2008. The players enjoy being around him, getting some of his hitting wisdom. He’s taken time with them, too. A lot of them grew up watching him play. So we’ll see. Right now, all channels are open,” Baer said.

Former teammate Fred Lewis said in an interview that he missed having Bonds in the team. “Just watching him take batting practice helped me. His feet were so quiet and his hands were so balanced, so explosive to the ball. He always said, ‘See the ball, hit the ball’ and ‘Be patient, stay within yourself.’ That was big for a lot of guys to hear. I know it was for me,” said the outfielder who played with Bonds for many years.

Other prospects of the team were also enthusiastic on meeting the baseball legend. “No, I’ve never met him, but I hope to,” “Oh man, I’d ask him all kinds of things. What did he do to really control himself…get the pitch he was looking for? What was the process that helped him become so selective and know his strike zone?” said the power-hitting outfield prospect, Thomas Neal. Buster Posey on the other hand may not be able to say anything once he meets Bonds. “Gosh, I probably wouldn’t ask anything,” Posey said. “I’d just listen.” For them, Bonds involvement in steroids will not be a major topic to discuss.

Bonds’ father was once a hitting coach but the home run king has no intention to follow his father’s footsteps. He is more interested in working with college baseball players.

Many could not still believe the stance of Mark McGwire when he made his confession. He said that the steroids he took were only meant to help him recuperate from injuries. Although anabolic steroids are also used to treat some medical conditions but its use in professional sports is more on increasing the level of performance. There are already so many athletes who admitted that taking steroids helped them run faster, lift more weights, gained more power in endurance sports, improved coordination and many other benefits attributed to these drugs.

Jay McGwire’ accusation that his brother Mark took those steroids, which he prescribed, to help him improve performance in the field could be true. You just have to imagine the training regimen adopted by Mark coupled with different steroids. A former steroid supplier of Mark even said that he prescribed a cocktail of steroids to the baseball player. In the book written by Jay, he mentioned the various steroids taken by Mark in the 1990’s. The book “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secret” gave more details on how he persuaded Mark to take steroids to help him recover from injuries but he also believed that those steroids helped his brother become a record breaker.

Jay itemized the anabolic steroids used by his brother. To give him more strength and heal the injuries faster, he gave Mark Deca Durabolin. Taking HGH or human growth hormone helped Mark to maintain his lean muscles. The HGH, in a way helped him to hide his use of steroids. It was followed by Winstrol, Primobolan, Dianabol, Clenbuterol and later on androstenedione, a steroid precursor.

We have gathered some definitions and descriptions of these steroids from online sources like wikipedia. It’s up to our readers to decide whether the anabolic steroids Mark McGwire took were the main reason why he broke Roger Maris’ home run record in 1998.

Winstrol - is a synthetic testosterone. Its main ingredient Stanozolol causes strength increases without excess weight-gain and promotes increases in vascularity. It is used by athletes and bodybuilders to lose fat while retaining lean body mass. It is usually used in a “cutting cycle”, to help preserve lean body mass.

Primobolan- or Methenolone enanthate is available as injectable or in oral form. Many bodybuilders use it in between steroid cycles during their “off-time” to help maintain their gains and strength. It is considered one of the safer steroids, meaning it has few side effects.

Clenbuterol - it is a drug approved for use for asthma patients as a bronchodilator. It causes an increase in aerobic capacity, central nervous system stimulation, and an increase in blood pressure and oxygen transportation. It increases the rate at which fats are metabolized, simultaneously increasing the body’s BMR. It is commonly used for smooth muscle relaxant properties. The drug has been publicized for its off-label use as a weight loss drug.

Dianabol - or Dbol is popular among bodybuilders because it helps muscle growth.These include dramatic increases in protein synthesis, glycogenolysis, and muscle strength over a short period of time.

HGH - It stimulates growth and cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Some of the effects of HGH include decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, increased energy levels, improved skin tone and texture, increased sexual function and improved immune system function.

Deca-Durabolin - or nandrolone showed positive effects by enhancing muscle growth, appetite stimulation and increased red blood cell production and bone density.

In an interview by ESPN, Jay divulged the some of the actual dosages he prepared for his brother. In a particular offseason, he alleged that Mark was taking the following combination of steroids. “Dbol [oral, 50 up to 70 mgs/day], Winstrol [oral, 50 up to 80 mgs every other day] and Primobolan [oral, 60 up to 80 mgs/day] for a minimum of 12 weeks.” These were in low doses as compared to the dosages taken by bodybuilders but it really helps in increasing the strength and size. The combination of steroids and the rigid training of Mark made him achieved a home run record.

A recent study on the long term abuse of steroids by bodybuilders was published in the February 2010 issue of Renal and Urology News. The findings may help people understand the effects of steroids if used for longer period of time. The respondents in the study were bodybuilders using anabolic steroids for 8 to 20 years. Researchers said that the kidney is one of the organs that suffer the most when the use of steroids is abused.

Leal Herlitz, MD, an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York headed the research. According to her, athletes who use anabolic steroids and the doctors caring for them need to be aware of the potentially serious risks to the kidney. The group pioneered the study in describing injury to the kidneys following long-term abuse of anabolic steroids.

The study included 10 bodybuilders who were dependent on steroids for many years. Six of them were Caucasians and 4 were Hispanics. These bodybuilders were described as having highly muscular physiques and were using anabolic androgenic steroids between 1999 and 2009. These bodybuilders experienced proteinuria and severe reductions in kidney function.

The findings were presented below:

- respondents had proteinuria of 1g/day or greater
- a renal biopsy diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or FSGS
- the bodybuilders have an average 34.7 kg/m2 BMI which range from 27 to 43
- statistics on men with proteinuria: mean 10.1 g/day, range 1.3- 26.3 g/day
- statistics on the case of renal insufficiency: mean serum creatinine 3.0 mg/dL, range: 1.3- 7.8 mg/dL
- 5 men were diagnosed with full nephritic syndrome.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or FSGS commonly occurs if the kidneys are overworked. This is also common to severely obese people but the group noted that the effects of steroids to the kidneys were more severe. FSGS was diagnosed in 9 patients and 4 of the 9 patients with FSGS had glomerulomegaly at the same time. The researchers conducted biopsies on the respondents and found out that 3 of them had collapsing lesions of FSGS and another 4 had perihilar lesions. There were also 7 bodybuilders who suffered tubular atrophy of 40% or greater and interstitial fibrosis.

Follow up on these bodybuilders were also conducted. The condition of one patient progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which required dialysis. Most of the respondents received renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade while one had received corticosteroid therapy. Seven of the bodybuilders who discontinued the use of anabolic steroids were able to recuperate from the condition. They were also advised to lessen their exercise regimens. Loss of weight was noted but the serum creatinine was stabilized and proteinuria decreased.

The doctors involved in the study concluded that the kidneys are forced to increase their filtration rate when there is an extreme increase in muscle mass. Therefore placing harmful levels of stress on the kidneys. “As in obese patients, the increased strain on the kidney from the elevated body mass leads to hyperfiltration injury,” said Dr. Herlitz. The findings also lead to the assumption that steroids have direct toxic effects on the kidneys. “Numerous animal models have shown adverse effects of androgens on the kidneys and we believe that the anabolic steroids themselves may be directly nephrotoxic,” she added.

He’s just trying to sell a book. This is one of the remarks of Mark McGwire on the new book written by his younger brother Jay. The book, “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and The Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secret” details how Mark used steroids to treat his injuries and at the same time made him broke the home run record in the 1998 season.

Mark considered it as betrayal by his estranged brother. “You try to be a good person, you try to take care of somebody, be a good brother. I guess this is what I get for payback for taking care of somebody,” Mark said in an interview. Asked whether he has the intention to read the book, Mark said that he will not. “Absolutely not. There’s no way. No chance,” said Mark who is now the hitting coach of the Cardinals.

He was saddened by his brother’s actions. “It’s sort of sad. It’s a sad day for my family. I don’t know how a family member could do something like that.” Their relationship may never be good again since Mark already told the media that he has no plans of seeing his brother again. The McGwire brothers have not seen each other for more than 8 years now.

Mark said that there’s nothing new in Jay’s book. “I’ve already come out and said what I’ve done and apologized. It’s kind of sad as a brother what he’s done, but I’ve moved on from it,” the baseball legend added.

Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager, has no plans on reading the book. “What’s the point?” said La Russa. “It’s stuff that’s already been gone over a bunch of times. I don’t know what it’s going to change.” La Russa hired Mark as a hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals last year. He is one of the biggest supporters of Mark. The two have a long working relationship. La Russa was the manager of the Oakland when Mark began hitting home run balls. La Russa considered Jay as part of the family. He said in an interview that Jay visited his brother at the clubhouse many times but did not bother asking Jay if he is on steroids.

The St Louis Cardinals manager is not worried on the revelations contained in the steroid book. He said somebody he knew already read an advanced copy of the book. “He said that (Jay) said some stuff—it wasn’t really first-page-to-last-page damning stuff about Mark,” said La Russa. He also believes that it will not disrupt the training in the Cardinals camp.

In the book, Jay mentioned the different types of steroids his brother took. It includes Deca-Durabolin, human growth hormone, Dianabol, Winstrol and Primobolan. He also added that Mark used androstenedione, a steroid precursor that was later banned by baseball. “He knows his game went to the next level because his body went to the next level. He knows,” said Jay.

The steroid book “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and The Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secret” was published by TriumphBooks.