Drug Abuse in the NFL Essay Example For Students

Drug Abuse in the NFL Essay The National Football League and Drug Abuse Its nothing new for the National Football Leagues players to be abusing anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Drug abuse in the league has recently focused around recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. The newest drug being abused is painkillers. The commissioner and his personal need to change their policies. Will they wait until many more players start to die before they tighten up their drug policies? The National Football League (NFL) can stop most of these drug problems by having more random drug tests given, enforcing stricter punishments when players are caught using drugs, and requiring every team to educate its players annually on the effects and consequences of all drugs. The number of players abusing drugs in the NFL is increasing every year (www.cbs.sportsline.com). This is concerning because it seems like more and more players each year get caught either using drugs, or being involved in some kind of drug activity. The only drug being used that is on the decline is anabolic steroids. This decline is due to several players in the 1970s and 80s dying before they could see their kids make it to high school. The first player to publicly come clean about being addicted to drugs was Thomas Hollywood Henderson. He was a Dallas Cowboys linebacker who played in three Super Bowls. He told the world about his addiction in 1981. He claims that a player using cocaine and marijuana was very uncommon at his rookie season. The more he played, the more drugs he began to take. He claims that since he came clean, the problems have been getting worse. More and more players keep doing drugs even after they hear of players having drug problems. If these problems keep getting worse, there could be major implications of young athletes all over the world. Professional athletes with drug addictions are a major problem because these players are role models for young athletes all around the world. Many children see their idols getting caught using drugs and alcohol. This causes them to think that if their favorite player is using that drug, well then they should be using drugs also. (Nattiv and Puffer). There would be less young athletes experiencing with these dangerous drugs if the players would spend more time talking about the negative side of drugs. All the blame cannot be pinned on the players only. The NFL itself and its high officials are also to blame. If they would take action and acknowledge the drug problems, they could help the players stay away from these potentially fatal mistakes. If other corporations (except alcohol and tobacco companies) were leading children towards drugs and alcohol, they would probably do anything they could to prevent that from happening. Major corporations require drug tests for people applying for a job position. This is a good way for companies to make sure they dont hire employees with substance abuse problems. Hiring people with substance abuse problems is common in the NFL. This is concerning because the NFL requires a drug test for all players entering the league. Collegiate players entering the draft are tested before they can become eligible for the NFL. If a person applying for a corporate position gets caught with drugs in his system, they will be dismissed as a candidate for the job they were applying for. This is true for most corporations in America, but this is not true in the NFL. If a player entering the NFL draft is caught with drugs in his system, they only go down a few places in the draft. Many players each year are found to have traces of drugs in their bodies. The most famous collegiate player to get caught with drugs in their system is Warren Sapp. Sapp was supposed to be chosen in the top five of the NFL draft in 1995. In his drug test, traces of cocaine and marijuana were found (Price 50). Do Aliens Exist EssayEmployers should educate their employees annually on possible acts that could lead to termination or suspension of their employment. This would educate employees on possible acts causing dismissal from their positions. The NFL should require every team to have mandatory annual meeting and films on the effects and consequences of all kinds of drugs (this would at least remind players of the reasons they are in professional sports and how much dedication it took to get there). Many players are not educated on certain drugs and the consequences of using them. If the NFL would educate the players, they could avoid being sued by them. Walt Sweeney, a former All-Pro guard for the San Diego Chargers sued the NFL for pushing painkillers on him during his playing career. He blamed the NFL for forcing him to become an addict. He won in court and the NFL was ordered to pay him $1.8 million (www.cbs.com). This is not only the NFL’s fault. Players are taught in junio r high to play hurt, push their pain, and never give up. This is a law of being an athlete, and if painkillers are needed, that becomes a player’s prerogative. The player’s need to be taught how to use them correctly and monitored on the amount they take before they rely on them to play. If the player’s do get addicted, they need some private way to get help without the public finding out about their problems. They could get help through their teams and from their fellow players. Along with these meetings, the NFL should require every team to start a semi-secret, self-help, peer group of teammates and front office personal. This group could help players discuss and get help on their drug problems. The Baltimore Ravens have already started a group like this. This group has turned Bam Morris (who was caught with cocaine and six pounds of marijuana in his car) away from drugs and back on the football field (Anderson 69). If every team would start a group like this, there would be more players turning there careers and lives back around. Players find it easier to talk to their teammates because other players are experiencing the same on and off field pressures. This might be the only way to stop players abusing painkillers like vicodin. A team that desperately needs a group like this is America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. They have had more drug suspensions and fines then any other team in the 1990’s (www.cbs.sportsline.com). Their star player Michael Irvin was caught in a hotel room with several ounces of both cocaine and marijuana. He only received a small fine and a short suspension.Leon Lett and Clayton Holmes were both suspended for testing positive for illegal substances. Erik Williams was charged for sexual assault on a 17-year old girl while he was intoxicated (WWW). All of these criminal problems occurred within a year. If the Cowboys a semi-secret, self-help, peer group of teammates and front office personal, they would n’t experience so many drug problems. The National Football League’s players have been abusing steroids for decades. The players now are abusing all kinds of drugs. Some of the drugs being abused are forced on them by injuries. New problems continue to develop every year. If the league doesn’t change their drug policies soon, they will just keep getting worse. Many of the younger athletes that will become professionals in the future are already abusing and possessing drugs. This can be linked to today’s idols using drugs. If the league changes their policy soon, they can prevent this drug outbreak from continuing to get worse. The NFL help solve all these problems by having more random drug tests given, enforcing stricter, and requiring every team to educate its players on all kinds of drugs. Bibliography:Works CitedAdams, Gerald T. â€Å"Are Today’s Athletes Tested Enough.† New York Times 13 April 1997: 19. â€Å"Broncos’ Griese Arrested for DUI.† 11 Nov. 2000. 30 Oct. 2000Buck, Ray. â€Å"For NFL’s invincible warriors, drug use can be a fatal flaw.† 14 Sep 2000. 23 July 1998Duca, Ron Del. â€Å"The NFL’s Drug and Anabolic Steroid Policies:† 16 Sep 2000. 18 Oct. 1999Glazer, Jay. â€Å"Finding the Right RX.† 11 Nov. 2000. 24 Oct. 1999King, Peter. â€Å"Bitter Pill.†Sports Illustrated 27 May 1996: 24-31. Nattiv, Aurciia, and James C. Puffer. â€Å"Lifestyles and Health Risks of Collegiate Athletes.† Journal of Family Practice. Santa Monica Family Physicians (1991). Mobley, John. Personal Interview. 6 Nov. 2000. â€Å"NFL Drug Policy.† 9 March 1998. 16 Sep. 2000Price, S. L. â€Å"Flying High Only Weeks Ago.† Sports Illustrated 27 March 1995: 48-52. Taylor, William N. Anabolic Steroids and the Athlete. San Diego: Press Pacifica. 1982. Williams, David â€Å"Webster Suspended for Alleged Drug Use.† Sports Illustrated 14 April 1997: 60-68.