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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1988)
More than 2,500 NFL players Jackson undergo ‘degrading drug test S ard ednesday, August 31, 1988/The Battalion/Page 19 NEW YORK (AP) —*Sfer the pe- dofamonth this summer at NhL lining camps across America, a nge ritual was acted out. More than 2,500 young men ipped themselves nude inside a it, were handed a cup by a rep- ientative of SmithKline Laborato- s, and told to urinate in it so they be tested for the presence of il- ;al substances. It was one of the most degrading ings that ever happened in my t, " said one New York Giant, who ked not to be identified, after it is disclosed that his teammate wrence Taylor had tested positive ter a similar test. $Al| Ta y lor - who voluntarily under- nt drug rehabilitation in the win- ■ of 1986 was one of nine players sciphned by the NFL this summer r violating the league’s substance use policy. H , e , an f d s „ e n ve " others were sus- inded for 30 days for second-time ? latl0ns T vol unta,y submission luntsas a first tnn e 7 U11 The ninth player T',. f' n Olldianapolis, was siisi <),n | 1118 °* ■ 1 sonf!,ralhi,d-tS end 1 edl0r ‘ he Under NFL p,£ e e union in the 1Qb<.’ > a 8 ree d to by ipired last Sept. I . C<)n,rac . t that trmitted at the s ’ c ,u g testing is imp and for cause 11 * ° * ra tning The latter usualh ous positive test ' ■ ! neans ‘‘ pre- l.college or beh ,, US,OI 7 <>{ drug 4 v IO r lhat wo ul d lead a team to believe a player is us ing illegal drugs. That provision continues to be en forced despite the lack of a new agreement following last year’s strike. In its new contract proposal, which remains in limbo while the la bor dispute is in court, the NFL wants random testing for all players, something strongly resisted bv the NFLPA. This season marked the third year the tests have been administered by Smith Kline Laboratories of Norristown, Pa. under the direction of Dr. For rest Tennant, the NFL’s drug advi sor. For the first time this year, ster oids were included with such illegal drugs as cocaine and marijuana as substances whose use would subject those who took them to league disci pline. The tests began in July and con tinued through August, usually at the convenience of the team, which is why Taylor’s suspension came later than the others. T he Giants were not tested until Aug. 15. Under the system, the players must urinate under the eye of a SmithKline employee five feet away — to prevent what I aylor described in his 1987 book, “L.T. — Living on the Edge.” In the book, he said he would smuggle “clean” urine obtained from a teammate into a lavatory stall and substitute it for his own. If only nine of the more than 2,500 players in camp tested posi tive, the NFL has an enviable record — that represents just .0036 percent positive. But that cannot be as sumed. Under league policy, the names of lirst-time offenders are not even given to the league, nor are they made public. Discipline is up to the team, which can either send him for 30 days of rehabilitation or keep him on the ac tive roster if it deems the substance abuse to be a one-time thing. When Taylor and Washington’s Dexter Manley were caught again this year, it was known they had been to rehabilitation facilities in the past, and Collins previous violations were known. But that wasn’t the case for two other prominent players suspended — running back Robb Riddick of Buffalo and defensive end Greg Townsend of the Raiders, who had never previously been identified as substance abusers. “I think it would sale to speculate that there were others,” one league official, who asked for anonymity, said Tuesday. “But you’ll never know who they are unless they test positive again.” (Continued from page 17) doesn’t mean he’s a worse player than the others, it’s just a matter ol someone having to be on the bench. And that somebody is Basil Jackson. “None of the guys is any better than the others,” he said. “I don’t think they think I’m any worse than they are.” The attitude is especially unusual for someone like Basil at a time like this week. The game of the week for A&M is at Louisiana State, and he’s from Baton Rouge. His whole family still lives there and is expected to hit Tiger Stadium en masse. “The last time I was home was early May,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to going back the re.” Column But he said that doesn’t really fire him up to perform any more than any other game. “Just the game itself provides the incentive,” he said. “The crowd in general gives incentive to play.” And it doesn’t matter whether the crowd is favorable or not. In fact, to Basil it might even be more invig orating to play in front of a crowd that hates his guts. I get more turned on by boos than by cheers,” he said. Lo make matters even worse, he might not even get to play. He in jured his shoulder in the Kickoff Classic and is listed as questionable for the game. “As of now I will be playing,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt. It would hurt if I took a direct shot right on the shoulder. If it should give me any more trouble, I may not be as active as I would like to be.” The main emphasis is on winning, not playing. And winning, in this case particularly, is of prime impor tance. LSU has beaten A&M in the Aggies’ season opener each of the last two years, and he said frankly, the team is getting tired of it. “It’s past time for a victory,” he said. “The attitude now is that we’re going to prove to everyone that we’re not a fluke — to prove we’re serious about victory.” He said the loss to Nebraska in the first game won’t affect that attitude. “It’s just that — the first game. It’s a learning experience.” But in the game or not, he re mains supportive of his teammates. (Continued from page 17) types of this condition, made their way onto Kyle field and preceded to taunt Aggie fans with their jubilant spirit (similar to my Dad’s condi tion). For some reason, to football fans around this country, a victory by one team over another means the win ning team’s fans are better than those of the defeated team. Most fans will deny this in the off-season, but the truth comes out immediately following a game, such as the A&M- LSU game. As the Tiger fans did their nanny- ^ nanny-na-nas on the field, good Ag gie blood boiled in the stands and on the sidelines. Those who didn’t suf fer from the condition were enjoy ing the fact that the walk to their cars or dorms was less crowded. On the other hand, those of us $2! D $' I $1« 0 SI® 10 S 1 ! 00 S3 1 un ir'jf nm ^ ^TORJE WIDE SAL/E AMrJr 'Mi iKr'wrq w " im ' iWOf dr# ^ *8.98 Ss Up \V\C,\vA\W£. ^ ri0 \ vue®* wow Rfri DAYS OM¥ Y m <ALJp .A. Bl-jF A. Mm* BL, ■>»«. 'M Bl*m # # # 7//£ 0( L, s elU<A\\w\^ taw tovwe fc eV * Ivhw Nq fcacV Ow ^ Thursday I Friday Saturday Sept. 1st Sept. 2nd Sept. 3rd Vcnc \a t*\ax' ?x\* e \0G WBVD X3S aac*. 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