Two more names of football players from the University of Waterloo Warriors were released to the public by the Canadian Center for Ethics and Sports. Out of the 62 players tested by the regulatory body, 9 players failed because of a positive steroid test, failure to follow the protocols and some of them admitted to taking anabolic steroids even before the test is conducted. In the first press release, two players were named by CCES because they already signed a waiver and accepted the consequences of their positive urine tests. Linebacker Joe Surgenor admitted that he took Winstrol while linebacker Jordon Meredith tested positive for a banned substance Tamoxifen. It is a drug commonly used after a steroid cycle to lessen the effects of steroids. Both were given 2 year suspensions.

On Friday, the CCES identified two more names from the football team. They were linebackers Matt Peto and Eric Polini. Their names were released to the public because they already decided not to contest the results of the test. According to online sources, 3rd year linebacker Matt Peto admitted to the anti-doping authorities that he used steroids even before the players were notified of the team-wide testing on March 31. This is the reason why he was only given a 1-year suspension. First year linebacker Eric Polini was given a 2-year suspension because his admission was only made when the testing is being carried out.

This steroid controversy in Canadian football started when UW receiver Nathan Zettler was arrested for trafficking anabolic steroids and other criminal charges. As the investigation unfolds, another team member was arrested. Linebacker Brandon Krukowski was also charged with possession and trafficking of anabolic steroids.

The CCES collected a total of 61 urine samples and 20 blood samples. CCES officials told the media that one of the results of their blood testing showed an adverse finding. It came from the 9 players who failed the urine testing. The agency did not revealed the type of drug found in the blood sample but many are speculating that it could be human growth hormone or the blood boosting drug EPO. These drugs are only detected in blood testing.

According to CCES President Paul Melia the results from the testing of the University of Waterloo football team are significant, and neither the CCES nor the CIS can afford to be complacent in their wake. “When athletes cheat by doping, they are not only endangering their own health, but their actions, unfortunately, cast a shadow of doubt and cynicism over the achievements of others,” Melia added.

The University of Waterloo released a statement that they will continue the program after the completion of internal investigation. This is in response to the clamor of other players to lift the suspension for the entire football team. Many players are saying that the decision of the University is unfair to those who followed the rules. The university’s director of communications, Martin van Nierop said that the program will continue and all the full-time coaches will return to work. The coaches can start the training with the remaining football players this fall.

A football midfielder from WAFL is facing a two year ban for testing positive for steroid nandrolone. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority or ASADA informed the East Perth officials about the results of the test conducted on the A and B sample of the player. East Perth Royals midfielder Dean Cadwallader expressed his remorse during a press conference held recently. The team officials tried to hide the results from other players but they have no other option but to go public because Cadwallader was not seen playing for two weeks now.

East Perth coach Tony Micale, who joined him in the press conference, said that other players are already wondering about the status of Cadwallader. “Obviously Dean is a very popular player at the club and a quality player and when he was missing the last two weeks, players were wondering about his whereabouts,” said Micale. The coach also told the media that he was disappointed on what happened to his ward especially that many AFL teams are already eyeing Cadwallader to be part of their team. “I think most of you would know that Dean has been in the sights of most AFL clubs and that he would almost certainly have been drafted later this year. This is now a real test of his character. I think he has the ability and the attitude to come back,” Micale added.

The Royals coach clarified that even if Cadwallader played an important role in the team, they will not tolerate his wrongdoings. “As Dean acknowledged, he’s made a big mistake and he’s going to pay a heavy price for it,” he said. “I just want to say, on behalf of the Club and his teammates, that we can’t condone what he’s done, but we can and will support him in his efforts to come back from this obvious setback to his dream of playing AFL,” Micale said.

Below is an excerpt of Cadwallader’s statement posted on the East Perth Football Club website.

“I would like to acknowledge my actions and express my regret for the disappointment I’ve caused to a lot of people. I’d like to apologise to my family, my teammates, the East Perth Football Club and its staff, its members and our supporters. There is no excuse. I’ve made a huge mistake and I’m going to pay the price for that mistake. I only hope that I can come back to the game in the future and make a positive contribution. I’d like to thank the club and my family for their support and once again apologise for the hurt that I have caused them.”

The final decision will come out on July 14. For the meantime, Cadwallader has the opportunity to contest the result or give his explanation on why he was tested positive for steroid at the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel. But the anti-doping authority will certainly give the 2 year ban. The only thing that Cadwallader can hope for is not to ban him from all levels of the sport.

His coach believes that Cadwallader made an error of judgment in taking steroids. “Dean didn’t need to do it, in my opinion. Dean had the natural talent to achieve the highest level without using drugs,” said Micale. “I’m absolutely shocked. It’s taken the club by complete surprise and I’m really, really disappointed for Dean because Dean’s a quality person and he’s just made an error of judgement on this occasion,” the coach added.

The case of Cadwallader will again make a negative impact not just on the Royals and WAFL but on the entire sports in general. There are already cases where some of the AFL players were involved in taking steroids. The Royals coach said that he has no knowledge if there are other players involved in the use of anabolic steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. He also declined to comment when asked about Cadwallader’s steroid regimen.

Dean Cadwallader is only 19 years old but his career in football may end too soon because of anabolic steroids. Nandrolone is a popular steroid known to help athletes build muscles. Another name for this steroid is Deca-durabolin. According to online sources, Cadwallader tested positive in late May and the result of his B sample was made known this week.

The man who formerly claimed that he was the largest steroid distributor in central Florida pleaded guilty to one count of felony. He admitted to the charges of possession of steroids with intent to distribute. Richard Andrew Thomas of Lakeland, Fla. was arrested by authorities last year after a raid in his home revealed several anabolic steroids and other prescription drugs like Valium. Several guns were also confiscated by the raiding officers. The anabolic steroids were imported from Slovakia.

The case of Thomas became a controversial one when he boasted that he supplied steroids to several players of the Washington Capitals and Washington Nationals. An inquiry was made but the leagues did not find any evidence that will link their players to Thomas. Players also denied that they purchased anabolic steroids from the Florida supplier.

This month, Thomas received 8 months of prison term plus three years of supervised release after prison. Thomas was also required to participate in a substance abuse program and undergo mandatory drug testing upon his release. According to authorities, the maximum penalty for his offense could reach up to 5 years but the plea agreement reduced the jail term. Thomas also agreed to cooperate with the police in investigating a Chiropractor who was involved allegedly in prescribing anabolic steroids to professional athletes including the Washington Nationals and Capitals players.

Thomas helped the investigators to tape phone calls with Douglas Nagel, a Washington based chiropractor who admitted that he treated several players of Washington Capitals. Thomas alleged that he supplied steroids to Nagel in several occasions. However, Nagel categorically denied that he prescribed illicit drugs to these players. Some of the players who availed the services of the chiropractor include Eric Fehr, Shaone Morrisonn and Matt Bradley. These players also denied that they received anabolic steroids from the doctor.

Nagel was also arrested by deputies from the Polk County in Florida and charged him with 7 counts of solicitation to deliver a controlled substance and a 1 count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. He is expected to appear in the pre-trial this month.

Both the Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League conducted their own investigation on the alleged involved of their players with Thomas and Dr Nagel. Although they have not found any proof that these players used steroids, many are still suspicious. There are already many baseball players and other professional athletes who turn to chiropractors to help them recover from injuries. Most of the times the treatment includes the use of steroids.

Imposing a 1-year suspension for the Waterloo Warriors football team is too much according to some critics. Punishing athletes who were tested clean of any performance enhancing drugs is considered as an unfair decision. But with the latest development on the Waterloo steroid scandal, the university may be right on its decision to halt its football program and make some re-evaluation or assessment on the current issues and problems. An internal investigation was already initiated by the university to determine the root cause of the problem and even asked the former regional police chief to help in the investigation.

In the report of the spec.com, police authorities arrested and filed several charges on Waterloo Warriors linebacker Brandon Krukowski. The 6 foot, 220 lb., 3rd year linebacker was charged with possession and trafficking of drugs particularly anabolic steroids. Michael Strickland, the university spokesperson, confirmed that Krukowski was part of the roster in the last season but declined to give more comment because of on-going investigation. Krukowski is a sociology student in the university and played for the Warriors since 2007.

The Waterloo Regional Police continued their investigation after the arrest of Nathan Zettler and two other football players. Although the case was originally focused on property crime, the raid on Zettler’s residence revealed several anabolic steroids and growth hormone. The different types of anabolic steroids found by the authorities include nandrolone, trenbolone, stanozolol and testosterone. They also found several tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug which is sometimes used during steroids cycle to help reduce water retention. This is also the drug found on the system of linebacker Jordan Meredith who was already suspended for 2 years by CCES.

The effort of the Waterloo police to dig deeper in the possible bigger network of illegal distribution of steroids in universities is rewarded with the arrest of Krukowski. Olaf Heinzel, police spokesperson said that they have been collecting evidences through the course of the investigation which resulted to the charges filed against the linebacker. “We obviously take investigations of illegal drugs very seriously,” said Heinzel.

Former assistant football coach Carl Zender was shocked by the report. “I’m shocked and sad. I feel bad for everybody,” said Zender who quitted in protest of the suspension of the entire football team. Zender is in favor of implementing tough sanctions on players involved in the use of steroids but believes that it is unfair to penalize clean players. “The university didn’t make the wrong call when dealing with kids who use steroids. They need to be firm. They need to be tough,” he said. His son was one of the football players affected by the decision of the university who already affirmed not to reverse its decision.

Other football players who initially protested are now left with no other option but to look for other schools that can accommodate them. Head Coach Dennis McPhee sympathizes with his players but supports the decision of the university. Coach McPhee and assistant coach Marshall Bingeman were put on paid leaves.

The names of the remaining football players who failed the steroid test are expected to be released soon. Only the names of linebacker Joe Surgenor and Jordan Meridith were made public because they already signed a waiver. Both were slapped with 2 years suspension by the CCES.

Football coaches in the high school level were quick to defend their student athletes on the steroid issues. Canadian universities were in the spotlight for the past few weeks because of the involvement of some college football players to the use of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Police authorities even arrested a player for his alleged distribution of anabolic steroids and HGH. The most controversial issue is the decision of the University of Waterloo to suspend for a year the entire football team for the current season. The test results revealed that up to 9 players were involved in the use of steroids or admitted that they have taken banned substances.

Most high school football coaches are confident that they were able to institute programs which effectively safeguard their student from the use of performance enhancing substances. Other local school officials share the same opinion. Pat Daly, chairperson of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, said that they try to be proactive and warn student athletes about the dangers of using steroids. “I’m not naive enough to say it never happens, but I’m not aware of any instances,” Daly said. Another school official from Hamilton, Chris Newman said that there were suspicions that some of high school athletes were into steroids but none were proven. “There have been suspicions in previous years, unproven and unsubstantiated. On occasion when you see a star player, people point fingers but nothing that’s ever been proven, nothing that’s ever been substantiated,” Newman said.

Football coaches and school officials are hoping that the case of the University of Waterloo football team is just an isolated case and is not symptomatic. Coaches are focused on educating their athletes on how to become stronger, faster and bigger without the use of anabolic steroids. Although some coaches admitted that there were some players who were interested in taking supplements like protein powders and creatine. The body naturally produces creatine but when taken as a supplement, it can help enhance muscle growth. Proper training and education is still the best weapon of the local schools in combating the use of steroids.

There were already several cases where the use of steroids at a young age will result to side effects and severe complications. An example of this is the case of high school athlete Taylor Hooton who committed suicide due to depression. The depression was caused by his use of anabolic steroids. Other reported cases include heart problems which results to death. Experts also believe that using steroids at the time of rapid growth and development of the student will result to physical and emotional problems.

A personal approach in educating the youth on the dangers of drugs seems to be an effective deterrent. Coaches in the local level know that the temptation of using performance enhancer is there but with the proper education programs, they can be kept away from these drugs.

Some coaches can’t restrain themselves in commenting on the decision of the University of Waterloo. They believe that those football players who played clean should not be punished. “I think they made the worst decision possible. I feel for the kids that tested clean. I don’t understand the decision at all,” said Greg White, convener of WCSSAA. Former Warriors orthopedic surgeon Tony Chris also said during an interview that he was saddened by the decision. “Those kids, I’m really sad for. They are great, upstanding citizens that don’t deserve to have the rug pulled out from underneath them,” Chris said.

There is one good thing that could be considered as a positive result of the steroid issues in college football. It can be used as an example in educating the young athletes with regards to the use of performance enhancers. According to head coach Tony Chris of Resurrection Phoenix, he discussed the issue to his team and plans of talking about it again in their next camp.

It started with the arrest of a football player who was in possession of banned substances and allegedly distributes these anabolic steroids and HGH to athletes in different universities. Other football players were also arrested. The University of Waterloo put the entire football team on mandatory steroid test and when the result came out, the University decided to suspend the entire football team this season. The main reason is the large number of players who turned positive or confessed for using anabolic steroids.

The action of UW is plausible because they have to protect the interest of the student athletes and the same time the name of the school. However, others say that the move is too late. They should have prevented the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs if they have strictly monitored their students and implemented comprehensive policies on doping. The university is not alone in the blame, the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) and the CCES (Canada Center for Ethics and Sports) were also part of the problem because of weak anti-doping policies. They have existing anti-doping policies but experts say that the implementation was not good enough to deter athletes from using anabolic steroids and other banned substances.

Marg McGregor, the CEO of CIS said in an interview that they are keen in determining the extent of the steroid problem in universities across the country but admitted that it will take time. “Certainly the CIS is not taking the view that this is an isolated incident. Our historical track record of positive infractions would show that there are other schools over the years that have had positive doping infractions. So it would be naive of us to simply dismiss this a couple of bad apples at Waterloo,” she said.

The president and chief executive officer of the CCES, Paul Mella also expressed his concern on the issue. He agreed that it is a wake up call for the authorities to review their policies and implementation of the anti-doping programs. “I think it’s definitely a wake-up call. It will force us at the CCES to look at how we apply the limited resources we have for university sports and it’s going to require a rethink on what’s the most effective way to reduce the use of performance-enhancing drugs,” he said.

He also added that the incident in University of Waterloo could damage the integrity of the sport. “We came off the Vancouver Olympics and it was a wonderful experience. We won medals and celebrated exuberantly because no medal-winning, Canadian athletes were caught cheating but like what happened with Ben Johnson, it feels this university situation is reminiscent of just how much damage a few athletes can do to sports and how we feel about it,” Mella said.

Sports authorities should adopt the standards used by WADA and intensify its testing of students athletes for anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and other performance enhancing drugs. In order to deter students from taking supplements, they should implement not just random testing but in and out of competition tests as well.