Earlier this month it was widely reported that New England Patriots rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes was suspended for the rest of the regular season for testing positive for a banned substance, a drug to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While Spikes readily admitted to a “mistake” in using a banned substance, his behavior indicates that there is more to the story.
Immediately after his suspension, Spikes released a statement saying that the substance that led to his suspension was a “medication that I should have gotten clarification on before taking. It was not a performance enhancer or an illegal drug.” He added that “the integrity of the game is important to me. I understand the league’s ruling and apologize to my teammates, the fans and the Patriots organization for this mistake.”
Spikes’ minimization of the matter by referring to the substance as a “medication,” combined with his convincing statement regarding the integrity of the game, is troubling. This behavior suggests that Spikes knew that what he was doing was wrong.
If Spikes simply thought he could get away with it, it’s unclear why he would have reached that conclusion. Ignorance of whether he needed approval for using the banned substance is not an excuse. We don’t sit in teams’ locker rooms, nor do we attend team meetings or club orientations for rookies, yet we knew the drug he took is a banned substance. At a minimum, Spikes should have been aware of the need for approval. If he follows his own sport, he must have known that others in the NFL have been suspended for using similar banned substances. The league is very clear on the four-game suspension as a penalty the first time a player tests positive for a banned substance. It seems implausible that Spikes could have been unaware of the risks of taking an ADHD treatment.
In fairness to Spikes, he is hardly alone in facing such scrutiny. Professional sports are replete with players who are currently using banned substances or have been outed in the last few years for using them. Steroid use in professional baseball is a prime example. We have closely followed several baseball players just as they were coming under scrutiny for steroid use, and based on the players’ statements, we were able to conclude that they were likely taking performance-enhancing drugs. Below we have appended our analysis from last year of commentary from Mark McGwire as an example of the type of deceptive behavior this is typically employed with respect to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
It’s noteworthy that professional athletes typically go to great lengths to downplay or deny their use of banned substances. Lance Armstrong continues to deny use of performance-enhancing substances, yet our analysis has shown that his public statements do not support his denials. Rodney Harrison, a veteran safety with the Patriots, was suspended for four games in August of 2007 for using banned substances in hopes of accelerating the healing of several football-related injuries. When confronted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Harrison admitted to using a banned substance, but denied use of steroids.
Perhaps one of the most blatant of examples of late is that of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, who was hounded by rumors of using performance-enhancing drugs in high school and college. Our analysis of public commentary by Cushing led us to determine that Cushing was not candid about his past use of performance-enhancing drugs, well before his suspension for the first four games of the 2010 season. The suspension led many to question whether Cushing deserved the Rookie of the Year honor he received for his play in 2009. Cushing, of course, has continued to deny any use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The issue of banned substances is larger than just the simple use of the substance. Many of the substances on the banned list are masking agents – substances that cover up the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Most of these banned substances contain amphetamines, which have proven to be a successful masking agent for performance-enhancing substances.
In Spikes’ case, some observers have questioned whether his use of the ADHD treatment has really helped him to focus better on the field. Others question more broadly whether ADHD treatments help any athlete in any sport, or if their use is more for the purpose of allowing plausible denial of the use of other substances. After years of living without ADHD drugs, why would a player suddenly be in need of this treatment?
Finally, we’re left to wonder why, if he was convinced that he was not taking a performance enhancer or illegal drug, Spikes did not appeal the ruling. Spikes might claim ignorance about the rules of the use of “medication” within the NFL, but he’s smart enough to know that an appeal could delay his suspension. We would point out that an unsuccessful appeal could have pushed his suspension back and made him ineligible to participate in the playoffs. When Spikes was suspended, the Patriots’ place in the playoffs was all but secured. They could afford to lose him for the rest of the regular season.
Jan. 12, 2010
Big Mac Turns Admission into Denial
Mark McGwire yesterday admitted to using steroids during his baseball playing career, but a golden opportunity to put the scandal to rest was lost when the slugger failed to come clean on the question at the heart of the controversy: Did his use of performance-enhancing drugs contribute to his ability to hit a record-breaking number of home runs?
In a live interview yesterday with MLB Network’s Bob Costas, McGwire denied that his steroid use was a factor in enabling him to hit so many homers. Asked specifically whether he thought he could have performed as well without steroids, McGwire was unequivocal in his response.
“I truly believe so,” he said. “I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for my health purposes. I did not take steroids to get any gain for any strength purposes.” Throughout the interview, in fact, McGwire made frequent attempts to convince viewers that his success was attributable solely to his natural ability – what he called “this gift by the man upstairs.”
Our analysis of these responses has yielded the conclusion that McGwire lacked conviction and sincerity in his claim that steroids did not aid the performance that resulted in the home-run record. His responses included a litany of excuses, such as “I took very low dosages,” which were designed to minimize the impact of his conduct.
Most notable was the slugger’s attempt to attack the legitimacy of the accusations against him, a behavior that is typically shown when people want to deflect scrutiny of their own actions. Specifically, McGwire blamed “the era we played in,” and the fact that there was no testing for steroid use. “If we had testing when I was playing,” he said, “you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation today.”
That McGwire lacked conviction in his claim that steroids didn’t help him was also evident in an eight-paragraph statement released by the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. In that statement, McGwire said, “I’m sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids.” If McGwire truly believed that steroids weren’t a factor, he likely would have stated that belief explicitly. Instead, he was able to summon nothing more than a wishy-washy response: “I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids.”
Watching Big Mac psychologically wrestle with his conduct reminds us of a similar struggle experienced by the fallen Olympian, Marion Jones. Like McGwire, Jones admitted that she used steroids. She said she asks herself whether she would have won her gold medals if she hadn’t juiced. “I usually answer yes,” is her wistful reply.
McGwire’s admission that he used steroids merely stated the obvious, given his painful testimony to Congress on March 17, 2005. His performance yesterday left the scandal far from resolved in the minds of Major League Baseball, the fans and, most importantly, himself. If he was seeking to find peace by “coming clean,” the effort was betrayed by his inability to face the reality of having cheated the game he deeply loves.
It is clear to us that McGwire succumbed to “the status of where I was at and the pressures that I had to go through,” and that in his quest for greatness he knowingly broke the rules. It seems obvious that McGwire benefited from the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and to profess otherwise is nothing more than self-deception. Until McGwire finds the strength to admit that steroids contributed to his home run hitting ability, his nightmare will continue.
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