Steroid Testing To Begin Before Playoffs

[KFDM COOP]

Texas' unprecedented random steroid testing will be begin about two weeks before the University Interscholastic League state football playoffs begin. UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt said Sunday the state-mandated random steroid testing program for high school athletes in Texas will begin near the end of October.

[tam2121]

Texas' unprecedented random steroid testing will be begin about two weeks before the University Interscholastic League state football playoffs begin. UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt said Sunday the state-mandated random steroid testing program for high school athletes in Texas will begin near the end of October.

Good!! alot of teams will get hit hard. Many teams who never did much in football ever all of a sudden are powerhouses...hmm. Not saying everybody is doing it, but there are several teams that do.

[Guest Yard Bird]

Will be the biggest waste of time and resources. 

[bullets13]

I know when i played football, i didn't know a single kid who did it.  I also didn't know how to get them (not that i tried).  I'd be surprised to find out that this is that big of a problem in high school sports.  I'm sure it occurs, but not like it does at higher levels where the pressure to perform is so much greater. I'm kind of inclined to agree with the bandit.  We're going to spend a lot of money to catch very few offenders.

[pirate68]

How far back will this test pick them up I wonder? I do think that we will be surprized at the results. Have you seen some of these kids that blow up from one year to the next. Theres more than hardwork going on in some cases. (JMO)

[JoeBuck111]

It's about time 

[82 5A State Champs]

I know for a fact that there will be at least one HS in the area that would get hit hard, should they be tested. What are the penalties, should a player on a team test positive?

[KFDM COOP]

I know for a fact that there will be at least one HS in the area that would get hit hard, should they be tested. What are the penalties, should a player on a team test positive?

I'll have to go back and make sure, but I'm fairly certain that the first positive test is a 30-day suspension, the second is a one year suspension and the third is "lifetime" suspension.

[KFDM COOP]

UIL to begin steroid testing by month's end

AUSTIN — University Interscholastic League officials said Sunday that the state's mandatory random steroids testing program should begin by the end of October.

UIL officials have said that their goal was to have the new mandate implemented before the end of football season. The final regular-season games are scheduled for Nov. 9.

UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt said "three or four" companies are still being evaluated for the contract out of the 14 that submitted bids, which were due in late July. Contenders for the contract have said testing could begin within a week of being awarded the job.

"Realistically, we're looking at the end of October," Breithaupt said in a story posted Sunday on the Austin American-Statesman Web site.

Legislative budget planners have set aside $6 million for the program, which will apply to all sports. More than 23,000 public high school students out of an estimated 740,000 total are expected to be tested in the next two years for anabolic steroids under the new law, making the initiative the largest of its kind in the country.

On Sunday, Breithaupt and UIL assistant athletic director Mark Cousins said at the semiannual UIL Medical Advisory Committee that the program will be "the largest steroid testing program in the world."

Test subjects will come from a randomly selected pool of 30 percent of the state's 1,246 public high schools. The program calls for students at about 400 schools to be tested during the 2007-08 school year.

"The way sports are going right now, it's a great idea," said Claude Mathis, coach of the LBJ High School football team. "For some of these kids, there's a lot of pressure to get a scholarship, to make it to the next level. Maybe they see (steroids) as a way of getting there."

Students who refuse the test will be treated as a positive test, which is punished by a 30-day suspension on the first offense.

[kicker]

Random my rear, you know they will be testing all the dominate teams first.

[82 5A State Champs]

Will there be penalties for the coaches, as well? If the kids are doing it, you know the coaches are aware of it.

[SETXsports Broadcaster]

Let the Lawsuits begin....heck when I was in school I didn't know what a steroid was....I guess I was pretty ingorant to life ;D ;D ;D ;D

Then again when I was in HS they thought that waterbreaks were un-healthy during practice. ???

[EAGLE07]

My opinion...you will have more kids with false positives from supplements than true offenders. I predict a huge chaotic mess !

[stevieray]

Remember that the Raiders are Slow Small and not very Atheletic. Save your money and test all those schools that have all that spead that is going to kill us!!!!!

That doesn't make much sense at all...I'm not surprised though.

***Although steroids are bad, I'm more concerned with the abuse of the other "illegal drugs". 

[Guest maverick24]

That doesn't make much sense at all...I'm not surprised though.

***Although steroids are bad, I'm more concerned with the abuse of the other "illegal drugs". 

Once again thanks for all the love Stevie You can keep bashing me but I won't argue or play the dumb  insults game. You are just showing what kind of person you are by going on and on.  Nothing but love from the 5-0 L-Train!!

[underarmor]

In all the replys on this topic I didnt here any concern for the kids. Since the days of Lyle Alzado this topic should have been really investigated in the highschools first. Stop it in the highschools and you stop it up the ladder. They have blown these kids up to 300lbs. in highschool 350lbs in college and nearing 400lbs in pros. When will enough be enough. I love the game but not at the expense of kids. There are enough drugs out there to worry about we dont need another. Save the kids and stomp out steroids.

Just my opinion

[Guest BIG HOUSE]

Love to see them start Today.Wish they could test every single kid.Would be many surprises,I bet...

[LHSALLZONE]

82 5a chump, your responding to mave 24,he just cant help hiself,but your thinking

out loud & asumption smells like a pile of ,well u read between tha lines. u just

cant help youself,dude . gotta reply,u r really talking out of your ,as commercial says about tha sports guy,well its a hole placed spec. in a area. dude start naming schools & individuals, u r just like all the rest of the chumps who have to

open their pie holes.wind is blowing from tha south, were upwind ,& your outloud

thinking smell really offensive. dang,dang, ??? ??? ??? :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

[Guest BIG HOUSE]

82 5A state Champs

I would be willing to bet that they could test every Lumberton FB player,today,and none would fail............

[LCM76]

yeah, but all of a sudden....BOOM....Lumberton is suddenly good. This might be right on with this topic! Just thinking out loud....

From what I saw in football and track on the junior high level, Lumberton's junior class has a number of outstanding athletes.

[LHSALLZONE]

sorry wos 08,no comments from me about tha stangs ,u guys rock, nothing but

lol for tha stangs here, u guys prove it week in week out, yr in yr out. good

luck wos.

[GoBucs07]

when they start testing, and if they do find players that have used steroids will they punish just the player or the whole team??

[KFDM COOP]

Player for 30 days.

[texasduckhunter]

you know that the coaches are going to try to hide the ones who use just like in construction workers who use and are good hands. I'm not saying all are bad but we do have some that are. we need to start at the top, superintendent, principals and teachers first. how can we expect our kids to do something that adults don't? ;D

[djames]

Its good what they're doing..

But I don't think it'll be too random, they know who they want to test. Heck, its usually obvious who is on it and who isn't. A lot of these kids wouldn't know where to get them anyway, well not in the smaller towns at least. I bet A LOT of teams from bigger areas get hit REAL hard by this.