August 28, 2006

Charlotte Observer: Panthers were juiced for 2003 Super Bowl run: Using information from a federal steroids case and its own deduction, The Observer named names this week, saying three of the five starting offensive linemen from the Panthers' February 2004 Super Bowl team -- guard Kevin Donnalley, center Jeff Mitchell and tackle Todd Steussie -- were in the report.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 06:04 PM - 12 comments

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posted by wfrazerjr at 06:05 PM on August 28, 2006

Thanks frazer, should have just posted this myself.

posted by tron7 at 06:07 PM on August 28, 2006

I thought only baseball players used steroids! Why in the world would football players need them?

posted by dyams at 06:44 PM on August 28, 2006

Who would've thunk it? Football players using steroids??

posted by Kendall at 08:05 PM on August 28, 2006

I thought I saw a story earlier today naming punter Todd Saurbraun as well (I know... a punter). Maybe it was a misprint and was meant to read Steussie.

posted by willthrill72 at 09:54 PM on August 28, 2006

I hope you'll excuse a derail, but this has been on my mind lately anyway: If they're going to start cracking down on steroids, doping, whatever...maybe they ought to have a weight limit so there won't be an arms race to have the biggest, strongest guys. Imagine if everybody had to come in at 250 or less and the key differentiators among players at a given position became agility, stamina, quickness, smarts, durability etc. What's really weird to contemplate is that as recently as the late 1960s, weightlifters in the NFL were considered oddball "body beautiful" types who wouldn't necessarily be tough enough to take the pounding.

posted by alumshubby at 06:28 AM on August 29, 2006

"In that sense, the victims of the crimes such as the one at issue here include not only the athletes themselves, but also sports fans in living rooms all over the country." Any NFL fan who doesn't realize that steroid use is rampant is a victim of stupidity. It's crazy for these athletes to take such huge risks with their lives and health. But the same could be said of playing the game at all. The physical toll of pro football is something that makes me enjoy the sport less and less as time goes on.

posted by rcade at 06:54 AM on August 29, 2006

I am wondering why we havent heard more about congressional hearings about usage in the NFL. If this story were about MLB. All Heck would break loose!

posted by daddisamm at 09:11 AM on August 29, 2006

Unlike MLB, the NFL was fully prepared for questions about their policy. They do test and have tested for some time, and we are all familiar with suspensions. In addition, there haven't been any tell-all books and the NFL regular suspends players for violations. It is mainly a PR issue and the NFL is much better at it than MLB.

posted by bperk at 09:21 AM on August 29, 2006

It is mainly a PR issue and the NFL is much better at it than MLB. That and the NFL has been (actively) dealing with steroids for quite a bit longer.

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:08 AM on August 29, 2006

Steroid use is not new in sports or football. So don't act so alarmed.Every sport that is physical in nature uses them and will continue to use them. Alot of players are willing to take that health risk and the risk of being caught for the fame but some won't even get caught.

posted by gunz4u at 11:35 AM on August 29, 2006

ho-hum none of these guys are breaking any all time records in a sport with an emphasis on individual statistics - just some beefy slobs trying to keep themselves in the lineup

posted by hb74147 at 12:26 PM on August 29, 2006

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