Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Baltimore Sun
November 18, 2006
Pg. 1
Cummings calls for congressional probe
By Bradley Olson and Jeff Barker, Sun Reporters
Naval Academy officials acknowledged yesterday that they waited more than two months to administer urine tests to five football players who admitted early last year to using steroids - a delay that experts said would have allowed any trace of the banned drug to disappear.
"I think it's very important that we know who made the decision to test these young folks two months after we had good cause for suspecting illegal drug use," said U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Baltimore Democrat who sits on the academy's Board of Visitors, a civilian oversight panel. "I want to know who made the decision, why that decision was made, and I think that whatever answer that is provided should be one that every single member of the board should be very much interested in knowing."
He is one of several lawmakers, two of them involved in previous steroid investigations, who called for a congressional probe yesterday into the academy's handling of the steroid use. "The Naval Academy and its students occupy a unique place as American role models, and as such they must adhere to the highest possible standards," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat.
Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, the academy superintendent, and Col. David Fuquea, who handled internal disciplinary proceedings for the players and is now the assistant athletic director, declined to comment through a spokesman, as did the players.
The academy's acknowledgment follows statements this week that officials allowed the five team members to compete in the 2005 season because the tests had "cleared" them of any wrongdoing. Two other players, who had tested positive for androstenediol in random tests administered by the NCAA, had been barred from the team that season, according to the association's rules.
The academy learned of the two positive NCAA tests Feb. 15, 2005. Nine days later, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched an official probe, during which the five additional athletes were fingered as other users of "andro."
The seven midshipmen, whose names the Annapolis military college would not confirm, were tested by the school on April 27, 2005, the academy said yesterday.
That two-month gap would have been more than enough time to prevent any steroid from being detected by a urine test, said Dr. Gary Wadler, an anti-doping expert and medical professor at New York University, and Charles Yesalis, a professor of health policy and sports science at Pennsylvania State University.
Both said andro would leave the human body within days. When taken, the drug combines with naturally occurring substances in the body to produce an unnaturally high level of testosterone. That can give users a competitive edge by building muscle mass, reducing body fat and speeding recovery from injuries.
Navy football coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday that once he was notified of the positive tests, he met with players and told them to throw away their banned supplements.
After inquiries from The Sun on Tuesday, he and Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said they were unaware that the five players had admitted using the steroid. They also said they didn't know when the drug test was administered.
Speaking to reporters after practice Wednesday, Johnson dismissed interest in the steroid use as a "nonstory."
"We handled the thing exactly by the book," he said, according to a transcript. "Neither of the young men even played the year it happened. Word came out that there might have been some other guys involved, and everyone was tested, and they tested negative."
In a written statement, the academy said Fuquea determined the players had not "knowingly possessed or used the substance" after androstenediol was made illegal by Congress on Jan. 22, 2005.
Though the NCAA had banned andro before the 2004 season, the players had purchased the substance online before Jan. 22 and several admitted to taking it after that time. Two military law experts said it would be difficult to charge the players with knowing use based on the change in legality and on the difficulty in proving that the players were aware of the change in the law.
All seven were "found guilty of failure to use good judgment for unknowingly using a substance that was banned by the NCAA and all received appropriate punishment," the statement said.
The players were restricted to their dorms for several weeks, a punishment normally used for minor conduct offenses. By comparison, midshipmen have recently been punished with twice as much restriction time for running errands on a night they weren't authorized to leave the academy or wearing civilian clothes to a military function.
In the statement, the academy said it applies the same high standard in every case.
"In everything we do we endeavor to develop a professional culture at the academy that fosters dignity and respect, while also encouraging personal responsibility and accountability," the statement said. "The highest standards, and highest expectations, of character and conduct apply equally and fairly to each and every midshipman in the brigade."
In cycling or Olympic competition, however, possessing a banned substance is enough for sanctions. Spokesmen at Navy's rival service academies - Army and Air Force - also said they would treat any steroid-using athletes the same, whether they were caught internally or by the NCAA.
The academy takes pains to notify all varsity athletes of what drugs to avoid, briefing them at the beginning of the season on the subject, requiring them to sign statements that list the banned substances and ordering them to clear any drug or supplement with a team doctor before taking it.
The pills the seven Mids took were labeled "1-AD," which the label described as "1-androstenediol," leaving out the possibility that the banned substance was somehow hidden in the supplement. The back of the label also clearly warned athletes or those in the military to consult their sanctioning organization before taking the substance, according to sources familiar with the academy's handling of the matter.
Waxman, a Democrat and incoming chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which has been investigating professional athletes' steroid use for the past few years, urged the academy to "conduct a thorough investigation and get to the bottom of this."
He helped initiate last year's congressional steroids investigation that led to their committee summoning then-Orioles Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa - as well as retired slugger Mark McGwire - to testify about steroid use in baseball.
Cummings, who also sits on the committee and played an active role in the congressional investigation, said he was "troubled" by the news and hoped both the Board of Visitors and Congress will look into the matter.
"I think it sets a bad example for these young people when they may have been involved in some serious infractions of the academy honor code and the laws of this country and then to have their hands slapped," he said. "It's simply shocking to the conscience, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to get to the bottom of it."
November 18, 2006
Pg. 1
Cummings calls for congressional probe
By Bradley Olson and Jeff Barker, Sun Reporters
Naval Academy officials acknowledged yesterday that they waited more than two months to administer urine tests to five football players who admitted early last year to using steroids - a delay that experts said would have allowed any trace of the banned drug to disappear.
"I think it's very important that we know who made the decision to test these young folks two months after we had good cause for suspecting illegal drug use," said U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Baltimore Democrat who sits on the academy's Board of Visitors, a civilian oversight panel. "I want to know who made the decision, why that decision was made, and I think that whatever answer that is provided should be one that every single member of the board should be very much interested in knowing."
He is one of several lawmakers, two of them involved in previous steroid investigations, who called for a congressional probe yesterday into the academy's handling of the steroid use. "The Naval Academy and its students occupy a unique place as American role models, and as such they must adhere to the highest possible standards," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat.
Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, the academy superintendent, and Col. David Fuquea, who handled internal disciplinary proceedings for the players and is now the assistant athletic director, declined to comment through a spokesman, as did the players.
The academy's acknowledgment follows statements this week that officials allowed the five team members to compete in the 2005 season because the tests had "cleared" them of any wrongdoing. Two other players, who had tested positive for androstenediol in random tests administered by the NCAA, had been barred from the team that season, according to the association's rules.
The academy learned of the two positive NCAA tests Feb. 15, 2005. Nine days later, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched an official probe, during which the five additional athletes were fingered as other users of "andro."
The seven midshipmen, whose names the Annapolis military college would not confirm, were tested by the school on April 27, 2005, the academy said yesterday.
That two-month gap would have been more than enough time to prevent any steroid from being detected by a urine test, said Dr. Gary Wadler, an anti-doping expert and medical professor at New York University, and Charles Yesalis, a professor of health policy and sports science at Pennsylvania State University.
Both said andro would leave the human body within days. When taken, the drug combines with naturally occurring substances in the body to produce an unnaturally high level of testosterone. That can give users a competitive edge by building muscle mass, reducing body fat and speeding recovery from injuries.
Navy football coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday that once he was notified of the positive tests, he met with players and told them to throw away their banned supplements.
After inquiries from The Sun on Tuesday, he and Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said they were unaware that the five players had admitted using the steroid. They also said they didn't know when the drug test was administered.
Speaking to reporters after practice Wednesday, Johnson dismissed interest in the steroid use as a "nonstory."
"We handled the thing exactly by the book," he said, according to a transcript. "Neither of the young men even played the year it happened. Word came out that there might have been some other guys involved, and everyone was tested, and they tested negative."
In a written statement, the academy said Fuquea determined the players had not "knowingly possessed or used the substance" after androstenediol was made illegal by Congress on Jan. 22, 2005.
Though the NCAA had banned andro before the 2004 season, the players had purchased the substance online before Jan. 22 and several admitted to taking it after that time. Two military law experts said it would be difficult to charge the players with knowing use based on the change in legality and on the difficulty in proving that the players were aware of the change in the law.
All seven were "found guilty of failure to use good judgment for unknowingly using a substance that was banned by the NCAA and all received appropriate punishment," the statement said.
The players were restricted to their dorms for several weeks, a punishment normally used for minor conduct offenses. By comparison, midshipmen have recently been punished with twice as much restriction time for running errands on a night they weren't authorized to leave the academy or wearing civilian clothes to a military function.
In the statement, the academy said it applies the same high standard in every case.
"In everything we do we endeavor to develop a professional culture at the academy that fosters dignity and respect, while also encouraging personal responsibility and accountability," the statement said. "The highest standards, and highest expectations, of character and conduct apply equally and fairly to each and every midshipman in the brigade."
In cycling or Olympic competition, however, possessing a banned substance is enough for sanctions. Spokesmen at Navy's rival service academies - Army and Air Force - also said they would treat any steroid-using athletes the same, whether they were caught internally or by the NCAA.
The academy takes pains to notify all varsity athletes of what drugs to avoid, briefing them at the beginning of the season on the subject, requiring them to sign statements that list the banned substances and ordering them to clear any drug or supplement with a team doctor before taking it.
The pills the seven Mids took were labeled "1-AD," which the label described as "1-androstenediol," leaving out the possibility that the banned substance was somehow hidden in the supplement. The back of the label also clearly warned athletes or those in the military to consult their sanctioning organization before taking the substance, according to sources familiar with the academy's handling of the matter.
Waxman, a Democrat and incoming chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which has been investigating professional athletes' steroid use for the past few years, urged the academy to "conduct a thorough investigation and get to the bottom of this."
He helped initiate last year's congressional steroids investigation that led to their committee summoning then-Orioles Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa - as well as retired slugger Mark McGwire - to testify about steroid use in baseball.
Cummings, who also sits on the committee and played an active role in the congressional investigation, said he was "troubled" by the news and hoped both the Board of Visitors and Congress will look into the matter.
"I think it sets a bad example for these young people when they may have been involved in some serious infractions of the academy honor code and the laws of this country and then to have their hands slapped," he said. "It's simply shocking to the conscience, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to get to the bottom of it."