Steroids in TN Football

[BackinTN]

I have just moved back to TN after several years of being in a state where high school steroid use and abuse is getting really bad. What about here in TN? Is there a problem here too? I can't imagine TN being immune to what the rest of the country is dealing with. Is TSSAA doing anything about it? Is it left up to individual schools to police? What happens if a kid is found to be on steroids?

[pedo_29]

QUOTE(BackinTN @ May 30 2007 - 12:35 PM) 826469092[/snapback]I have just moved back to TN after several years of being in a state where high school steroid use and abuse is getting really bad. What about here in TN? Is there a problem here too? I can't imagine TN being immune to what the rest of the country is dealing with. Is TSSAA doing anything about it? Is it left up to individual schools to police? What happens if a kid is found to be on steroids?

 

 

Personally I think it continues to get worse. I wrote a story on it a few months ago. It was really more of a wake up and pay attention to what's happening right in front of up type story. Take it for what you like. But I personally know some local athletes that use....take it for what you want:

 

 

The desire to succeed at all cost in the highly competitive world known as athletics has tempted many to take it one step too far in the quest to be just a little faster, a little tougher, a little bigger than everyone else.

 

Some runners have fallen prey to this desire, as have cyclists, baseball players and swimmers – and the sports world is dirtier for it.

 

This willingness to succeed at all costs often begins in high school, and it has motivated some student athletes to ingest performance-enhancing drugs – risking their health and possibly their lives in the process.

 

"Seven percent of high school seniors who play football have used steroids, and 45 percent of those have used them by the age of 15," estimates Dr. Jay Trussler with the Trussler Medical Plaza.

 

Anabolic steroids are synthetic drugs similar to the male hormone testosterone that increase the body’s ability to make proteins and use those proteins to build muscle tissue. These steroids are illegal in the United States. However, young athletes have found ways to get their hands on steroids through the black market.

 

"The problem with the black market is a lot of the black market drugs don’t always contain what the label says they contain," added Trussler. "So kids don’t know what they are getting and putting into their bodies."

 

The repercussions of steroid use are extremely dangerous. Side effects include mood swings, change in skin (increased acne), increased irritability, the tendency toward muscle and tendon tears, liver damage, an increase in the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease in HDL (good) cholesterol, aggressive behavior also known as "Roid Rage," shrinkage in ######s, inability to get an erection and decreases sperm count, gynecomastia (breasts in men), alopecia (hair loss) and stunted growth.

 

"Mood swings can be very up or very down," said Trussler. "Mood swings can go so far down that it results in depression and eventually suicide. That’s when everybody will be screaming that we should have been testing for steroids."

 

Currently there is no steroid testing policy at Coffee County Central High School. Cost is certainly an issue, but coaches at the high school would be in favor of a testing policy.

 

"I don’t think that there is a problem here but I would support random testing," commented CHS football coach Bill Price.

 

A urine screen can detect steroid users. Metabolites can be detected for up to six months.

 

"I would definitely be in favor of random testing," said Trussler. "I would be willing to help out and help get a discounted rate. I feel like the thought of having random drug tests would discourage any athletes who would be considering taking steroids.

 

"I feel like the risks of tak-ing steroids far outweigh the perceived benefits. The dan-gers of steroids are far too great for that service not to be made available to our Coffee County athletes."

 

Trussler, a three-sport athlete in high school and four-year catcher for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team, under-stands the pressure to win. But at the same time, he believes steroid usage is unacceptable.

 

"These kids will be held accountable in college and I don’t see why they shouldn’t be held accountable right now. They will be tested in college. I was randomly tested when I was in college."

 

Most coaches at the high school understand that there is a possibility of steroid usage and have taken appro-priate measures to assure it isn’t a problem at Coffee County Central.

 

"We have never talked about steroids, specifically," said CHS boys’ basketball coach Andrew Taylor. "But I put steroids in the same cate-gory as taking care of your body – not smoking, not drinking and that kind of stuff. We have talked about that."

 

There are many signs that parents and coaches can look for when suspecting steroid use. The most common is a sudden outbreak of acne or acne becoming noticeably worse. Also, a monthly supply of steroids can cost anywhere from $300-$6,000.

 

"If your kids are constantly asking for money and you’re not sure where it’s going, then you need to think about this," said Trussler. "It is the parents who have the na?ve attitude that their children would never do this who are the ones who are most likely to have kids on steroids."

 

"I hope that we don’t have that issue at our school or in our community," said CHS baseball coach Chase Jones. "But the scary thing is, it’s a possibility. These kids see the short term, but what they don’t realize is the serious danger they are putting their body in for the long term. I think it would be great if we could test every high school athlete, because steroids are just so dangerous."

[BackinTN]

QUOTE(pedo_29 @ May 30 2007 - 02:11 PM) 826469154[/snapback]Personally I think it continues to get worse. I wrote a story on it a few months ago. It was really more of a wake up and pay attention to what's happening right in front of up type story. Take it for what you like. But I personally know some local athletes that use....take it for what you want:

 

 

The desire to succeed at all cost in the highly competitive world known as athletics has tempted many to take it one step too far in the quest to be just a little faster, a little tougher, a little bigger than everyone else.

 

Some runners have fallen prey to this desire, as have cyclists, baseball players and swimmers – and the sports world is dirtier for it.

 

This willingness to succeed at all costs often begins in high school, and it has motivated some student athletes to ingest performance-enhancing drugs – risking their health and possibly their lives in the process.

 

"Seven percent of high school seniors who play football have used steroids, and 45 percent of those have used them by the age of 15," estimates Dr. Jay Trussler with the Trussler Medical Plaza.

 

Anabolic steroids are synthetic drugs similar to the male hormone testosterone that increase the body’s ability to make proteins and use those proteins to build muscle tissue. These steroids are illegal in the United States. However, young athletes have found ways to get their hands on steroids through the black market.

 

"The problem with the black market is a lot of the black market drugs don’t always contain what the label says they contain," added Trussler. "So kids don’t know what they are getting and putting into their bodies."

 

The repercussions of steroid use are extremely dangerous. Side effects include mood swings, change in skin (increased acne), increased irritability, the tendency toward muscle and tendon tears, liver damage, an increase in the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease in HDL (good) cholesterol, aggressive behavior also known as "Roid Rage," shrinkage in ######s, inability to get an erection and decreases sperm count, gynecomastia (breasts in men), alopecia (hair loss) and stunted growth.

 

"Mood swings can be very up or very down," said Trussler. "Mood swings can go so far down that it results in depression and eventually suicide. That’s when everybody will be screaming that we should have been testing for steroids."

 

Currently there is no steroid testing policy at Coffee County Central High School. Cost is certainly an issue, but coaches at the high school would be in favor of a testing policy.

 

"I don’t think that there is a problem here but I would support random testing," commented CHS football coach Bill Price.

 

A urine screen can detect steroid users. Metabolites can be detected for up to six months.

 

"I would definitely be in favor of random testing," said Trussler. "I would be willing to help out and help get a discounted rate. I feel like the thought of having random drug tests would discourage any athletes who would be considering taking steroids.

 

"I feel like the risks of tak-ing steroids far outweigh the perceived benefits. The dan-gers of steroids are far too great for that service not to be made available to our Coffee County athletes."

 

Trussler, a three-sport athlete in high school and four-year catcher for the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team, under-stands the pressure to win. But at the same time, he believes steroid usage is unacceptable.

 

"These kids will be held accountable in college and I don’t see why they shouldn’t be held accountable right now. They will be tested in college. I was randomly tested when I was in college."

 

Most coaches at the high school understand that there is a possibility of steroid usage and have taken appro-priate measures to assure it isn’t a problem at Coffee County Central.

 

"We have never talked about steroids, specifically," said CHS boys’ basketball coach Andrew Taylor. "But I put steroids in the same cate-gory as taking care of your body – not smoking, not drinking and that kind of stuff. We have talked about that."

 

There are many signs that parents and coaches can look for when suspecting steroid use. The most common is a sudden outbreak of acne or acne becoming noticeably worse. Also, a monthly sup-ply of steroids can cost any-where from $300-$6,000.

 

"If your kids are con-stantly asking for money and you’re not sure where it’s going, then you need to think about this," said Trussler. "It is the parents who have the na?ve attitude that their chil-dren would never do this who are the ones who are most likely to have kids on ster-oids."

 

"I hope that we don’t have that issue at our school or in our community," said CHS baseball coach Chase Jones. "But the scary thing is, it’s a possibility. These kids see the short term, but what they don’t realize is the serious danger they are putting their body in for the long term. I think it would be great if we could test every high school athlete, because steroids are just so dangerous."

 

 

Great article. I have to say that I know for a fact that it is a problem in TN. What bothers me is that so many coaches do too, and do nothing to expose the issue.

Case in point; a few years ago, I want to a dinner party at a friends house in middle tennessee. Their son played football at a small private high school. While I was there, the mother, who is a registered nurse left the room when a group of about 10 football players came over. I was to find out later that it was time for their weekly injection. I was stunned. I quietly notified the school, and absolutely nothing happened. No testing, no suspensions...absolutely nothing. I don't want to give too many details, but the team did exceptionally well that year.

I have no affiliation with any school. I am just someone who has witnessed the problem first hand in several places and am saddened that so little is being done about it. Coaches tend to bury their heads in the sand and take a "what I don't know won't hurt" approach.

[pedo_29]

QUOTE(BackinTN @ May 30 2007 - 02:46 PM) 826469164[/snapback]Great article. I have to say that I know for a fact that it is a problem in TN. What bothers me is that so many coaches do too, and do nothing to expose the issue.

Case in point; a few years ago, I want to a dinner party at a friends house in middle tennessee. Their son played football at a small private high school. While I was there, the mother, who is a registered nurse left the room when a group of about 10 football players came over. I was to find out later that it was time for their weekly injection. I was stunned. I quietly notified the school, and absolutely nothing happened. No testing, no suspensions...absolutely nothing. I don't want to give too many details, but the team did exceptionally well that year.

I have no affiliation with any school. I am just someone who has witnessed the problem first hand in several places and am saddened that so little is being done about it. Coaches tend to bury their heads in the sand and take a "what I don't know won't hurt" approach.

 

 

That's kind of the way it is here. I thought I would get the ball rolling by throwing this article out there. I promoted it heavily on my radio show and it was widely read, however, none of the movers and shakers of this community followed up on it. If you read closely, the doctor that I interviewed offered discounted testing....I guess we aren't interested in that!

[BackinTN]

QUOTE(pedo_29 @ May 30 2007 - 03:13 PM) 826469181[/snapback]That's kind of the way it is here. I thought I would get the ball rolling by throwing this article out there. I promoted it heavily on my radio show and it was widely read, however, none of the movers and shakers of this community followed up on it. If you read closely, the doctor that I interviewed offered discounted testing....I guess we aren't interested in that!

 

 

Its sad to say, but some coaches only want wins. If a kid is doing it ouside of their knowledge, who's to blame them? At least thats the way it seems.

 

You can see how many people are reading this posting, and yet don't reply. I wonder how many of those readers are coaches who suspect steroid abuse on their own team? How many a going to claim ignorance if and when an athlete gets caught? How many fathers will read this post and not respond because they may have knowledge or suspicions of their own sons abuse?

 

Are there no parents or coaches out there not upset that their child or team may be in danger by playing a game on a field where they can get hurt by someone who has a distinct and dangerous advantage due to steroids? Is no one willing to do anything about the general unfairness of a clean kid competing against a steroid user?

 

Is TSSAA doing anything at all? Or it is just following its history of sending out posters and warnings and feeling it has sufficiently covered itself against lawsuit, but doing nothing real to solve the problem?

[pedo_29]

QUOTE(BackinTN @ May 30 2007 - 03:56 PM) 826469202[/snapback]Its sad to say, but some coaches only want wins. If a kid is doing it ouside of their knowledge, who's to blame them? At least thats the way it seems.

 

You can see how many people are reading this posting, and yet don't reply. I wonder how many of those readers are coaches who suspect steroid abuse on their own team? How many a going to claim ignorance if and when an athlete gets caught? How many fathers will read this post and not respond because they may have knowledge or suspicions of their own sons abuse?

 

Are there no parents or coaches out there not upset that their child or team may be in danger by playing a game on a field where they can get hurt by someone who has a distinct and dangerous advantage due to steroids? Is no one willing to do anything about the general unfairness of a clean kid competing against a steroid user?

 

Is TSSAA doing anything at all? Or it is just following its history of sending out posters and warnings and feeling it has sufficiently covered itself against lawsuit, but doing nothing real to solve the problem?

 

 

The TSSAA has taken no action....and to the best of my knowledge...haven't addressed the problem period....but don't hold me to that last part.

[BackinTN]

QUOTE(pedo_29 @ May 31 2007 - 02:31 PM) 826469703[/snapback]The TSSAA has taken no action....and to the best of my knowledge...haven't addressed the problem period....but don't hold me to that last part.

 

 

When are people going to wise up about the TSSAA and what they are really all about? Ahhhh, but thats for another thread. Let's just keep paying insane ticket prices and taking the gate money to send to Hermitage.

Judging by the huge response to this posting (sarcasm) people just want to ignore the elephant in the living room. Sounds like finally there is something that parents, coaches, and the TSSAA can agree on...they have agreed to ignore a problem that someday won't be ignored. How sad for TN athletes and athletics. Just like the heat issue, someone may have to die before changes are made.

[Lost Old Dad]

There are lots of folks who DO care about its abuse in Tennessee, the problem is they do not know what to do about it.

 

I can speak for MY house only in that it was NOT allowed and I made it clear to everybody I could that if my son was told to use or offered steroids that someone was going to jail or worse. Did this affect the whole team? No, but folks knew I was going to have someones tail if I saw it.

 

Yes, I support testing and SEVERE penalties if it is found in any sport at ANY school.

 

As to the TSSAA, most of us consider them the supreme JOKE as they have given the appearance that the only thing they really care about is preserving THEIR lifestyle and BS jobs and paychecks.

 

Fans are at fault also in that we have put so much emphasis on having a winning program we have thrown away our concern for the kids future.

 

What is the solution? I honestly do not know, but I am more than willing to listen to suggestions to correct the problem.

 

Maybe we need to do what Texas has done and get the legislature involved, but that opens yet another can of worms.

[BackinTN]

QUOTE(Lost Old Dad @ Jun 5 2007 - 04:45 AM) 826471479[/snapback]There are lots of folks who DO care about its abuse in Tennessee, the problem is they do not know what to do about it.

 

I can speak for MY house only in that it was NOT allowed and I made it clear to everybody I could that if my son was told to use or offered steroids that someone was going to jail or worse. Did this affect the whole team? No, but folks knew I was going to have someones tail if I saw it.

 

Yes, I support testing and SEVERE penalties if it is found in any sport at ANY school.

 

As to the TSSAA, most of us consider them the supreme JOKE as they have given the appearance that the only thing they really care about is preserving THEIR lifestyle and BS jobs and paychecks.

 

Fans are at fault also in that we have put so much emphasis on having a winning program we have thrown away our concern for the kids future.

 

What is the solution? I honestly do not know, but I am more than willing to listen to suggestions to correct the problem.

 

Maybe we need to do what Texas has done and get the legislature involved, but that opens yet another can of worms.

 

 

I think you are exactly right about the legislature. It does open another can of worms. But since the TSSAA has proven to be totally incompetent at pretty much everything, but especially enforcement, the legislature may be the only way to get it done. And since TSSAA is so greedy, they would never pay for the testing programs it would take to clean up the problem. With the state govt involved, funding could also be part of the solution.

[couga14]

backintn are you some former disgruntled former TSSAA employee or something. First, you start this post asking if there is a problem in Tennessee and then a post later you say that you know for a fact there is. If you know this, then why ask unless you are just looking to get stuff started.

[BackinTN]

QUOTE(couga14 @ Jun 5 2007 - 10:39 PM) 826471899[/snapback]backintn are you some former disgruntled former TSSAA employee or something. First, you start this post asking if there is a problem in Tennessee and then a post later you say that you know for a fact there is. If you know this, then why ask unless you are just looking to get stuff started.

 

 

 

Why would you think I was disgruntled? Because I asked a pointed question that goes straight to a very serious matter? I have never been an employee of TSSAA. If you actually read my post, you would see that I have been out of the state for quite a while. I have witnessed only one situation within this state, but was trying to see if the problem is as wide spread in this state as in others.

By the tone of your post, it seems you are the one trying to get something started. I am trying to find out the extent of the problem and explore possible solutions.

Thats kind of the point of a message board, right?

[Lost Old Dad]

QUOTE(BackinTN @ Jun 6 2007 - 08:13 AM) 826472015[/snapback]Why would you think I was disgruntled? Because I asked a pointed question that goes straight to a very serious matter? I have never been an employee of TSSAA. If you actually read my post, you would see that I have been out of the state for quite a while. I have witnessed only one situation within this state, but was trying to see if the problem is as wide spread in this state as in others.

By the tone of your post, it seems you are the one trying to get something started. I am trying to find out the extent of the problem and explore possible solutions.

Thats kind of the point of a message board, right?

 

Better question is WHAT position does couga14 hold with the TSSAA presently? Or is it just a kissing up statement to the TSSAA in general?

 

For myself the TSSAA could go away permanately and I would NOT miss them at all. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

As an aside with the new higher tax the legislature just passed on cigarettes they could spend some of that on testing!