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Drug Testing On PGA Tour Raises Questions, Ire
With drug testing on the tour on the immediate horizon, it seems that the rank-and-file of the PGA Tour hadn’t really considered all the implications. Banning substances intended to give a player an edge makes sense; the full range of products on the World Anti Doping Association list borders on the absurd. A recent Associated Press article highlights the frustration of players as reality is setting in:
(Frank) Lickliter doesn’t understand why the tour adopted WADA guidelines for golf, noting that Vick’s Vapor Inhaler is prohibited.
‘‘If I use Vick’s nasal spray three times, they can kick me off the tour forever,’’ Lickliter said. ‘‘Now, do you think Vick’s nasal spray is helping me compete out here? Half the stuff they’re testing for doesn’t help golfers. These so-called experts are not experts in golf.’‘
And then there’s the issue of products that might seem innocent, but contain substances that are on the banned list:
‘‘The only thing disconcerting is that you’re totally responsible for what you take,’’ Charles Howell III said. ‘‘You might take a product, and there’s nothing on the label that’s illegal, yet you don’t know if there’s cross-contamination.’‘
Others are worrying about the actual collection procedures:
Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger was indignant over having a ‘‘collector’’ accompany him into the restroom to watch him drop his pants and lift his shirt to make sure he didn’t have a urine sample taped to his side. And when it was mentioned that ‘‘anywhere’’ could include coming to a player’s house, Frank Lickliter suggested in so many words that the drug official bring a warrant.
The GolfBlogger’s prediction? This thing is going to get ugly.
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A lot of the players on tour like their NRA-given right to guns of any shape and size. I’m not sure the sample collector will get very far if he goes to their house. I think going to their house is a bit much. Test them at the events only - most drugs will stay in your system for a while and aside from Tiger, who else takes 6 to 8 weeks off between events.
As for having someone go to the restroom with you, why should Paul Azinger be treated any different from any Olympic athlete? That’s what they have to deal with every time they compete.
And there are a lot of products on a banned substance list that you might not think are performance enhancing. I know diuretics are used to mask some telltale indications of substance use - a tennis player was banned for 2 years for taking a cold medicine prescribed by a doctor because it had diuretic properties. The golfers are going to have to take the drug testing seriously and pay very close attention to what they are taking. When Sabbatini made that joke about the policy making good airplanes, I thought there would be problems cropping up with this because it doesn’t sound like the players are going to take it seriously.
Posted by Miranda on 01/31
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