Pubdate: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2006 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Dan Barnes Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) TIME FOR CFL TO MAKE DRUG POLICY A PRIORITY League's Procrastination Irks WADA Chairman EDMONTON - A generation of kids was told 'just say no' to drugs. The Canadian Football League has chosen to just say whatever is most convenient. So, when the venerable old league was attacked Wednesday by World Anti-Doping Agency chair Dick Pound, they said he's way off base when he calls it "a summer camp for NFL players who have been suspended for drug use." And they said they are working on an anti-doping policy in conjunction with the CFL Players Association. It had better be the most comprehensive program in the world of sport, because the CFL has said since the early 1990s that they are working with the CFLPA on it. How soon might we actually see it implemented? "There is no set timetable for the CFL to announce a drug policy," said Perry Lefko, the league's director of communications. "It is something that has been investigated and will continue to be investigated." It won't be announced before Tom Wright serves his final day as the league's 15th commissioner. And it won't be high-profile enough for his successor to tackle immediately. It has always been, and may always be a secondary or tertiary issue for the CFL, trailing the financial health of the league, the upgrading of its officials, adopting a new logo or changing its balls. It is easy to argue in favour of such a pecking order, at least the top item, but eventually the CFL has to develop a social conscience and jump off its wallet to fund a program that most other pro sports leagues have found necessary. Which brings us to one of their favourite fallback positions on anti-doping; they say it's too expensive for a cash-strapped league. "I just say sorry, for the integrity of the game and the health of your players, you've got to have it," Pound said during an interview at his Montreal office on Jan. 11. "A dollar a ticket, max. It's not that expensive." The league announced a record attendance figure of 2.3 million fans in 2005. A surcharge of 50 cents per ticket would have generated $1.15 million, more than enough to fund the program for a season. I'm pretty sure fans wouldn't howl too much at the increase, since it's in the best interests of society to promote drug-free sport. And in the case of such a small entity like the CFL, which employs perhaps 600 players in any given year, it's not that hard to operate. WADA conducts testing for smaller member federations all over the world on a cost-recovery basis, meaning they don't make a profit. What if the CFL came looking for the same deal? "For the CFL? On a cost recovery basis we certainly would (conduct testing)," Pound said. But the CFL would also have to adopt WADA's extensive list of banned substances and its punishment guidelines. So far, the CFL has shown no burning desire to accept either, leaving itself wide open to criticism, which Pound is happy to supply. Part of his mandate is promoting awareness of anti-doping causes and he does it by generating headlines. He raised the hackles of the National Hockey League by stating one-third of its 700 players use performance enhancers. He has long been critical of the U.S. Track and Field Association for hiding athletes' positive drug tests. The foot-dragging CFL presents an obvious target for his sharp tongue. "It has reached the point where we have to talk about it to get (the CFL's) attention, to say, 'Is there anything on our list you think your players should be able to take?' " he said in January. "Or let's say you decide a two-year sanction is too much. OK, I can understand you have some people in the system that may come with some baggage. But over a five-year period let's ramp up to it, so you have a game that is pure and nobody is cheating." What they have now is tacit acceptance of steroids, stimulants, amphetamines, marijuana and cocaine. What they have is an irresponsible bylaw that allows NFLers to run away from drug-related suspensions and play in Canada. What they have is the same problem they had two decades ago. Craig Shaffer, a linebacker on the 1987 Eskimos, admitted in 1994 to playing CFL games with cocaine in his system. He and teammate Tom Tuinei admitted using steroids and both players later did jail time for drug-related offences. A year after another Eskimo John Mandarich died of cancer in 1993, then GM Hugh Campbell said he knew Mandarich was using steroids in 1987 but teams weren't in the habit of forcing players to stop. Every team in the CFL has similar history but there is still nothing in the collective bargaining agreement with its players that addresses the issue of anti-doping. Doug Mitchell was CFL commissioner in 1986 when Eskimo Hec Pothier's arrest and suspension for hashish possession sparked more debate but no action on doping. "The players association was opposed to a drug policy in those days," Mitchell said. "How close did we come to having one? I don't think we came very close." The players have to take their lumps on this issue, but the league has had nine commissioners since Mitchell and not one has made it a priority. In two decades there has been enough seen and heard to warrant a policy. Just do it. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman