Thursday, January 19, 2006

 

Bryan Berard Tests Positive for Steroids

Obviously, they weren't defensive-enhancing steroids.

From TSN.ca:

Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Bryan Berard tested positive for a banned substance as part of drug testing for the Olympics.

Sources say Berard, who was invited to the U.S. summer Olympic evaluation camp and therefore eligible for Olympic testing, tested positive for the substance nandrolone, an anabolic steroid which is on the IOC banned substance list.

A positive test means that Berard is ineligible for any international competition for the next two years. The test will not impact on the Olympics in February as Berard was not selected to the U.S. team.

The positive Olympic test will have no impact on his current standing or status within the National Hockey League.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.

1. Berard is dumb for using steroids and getting caught. He knew he would be tested, yet he took the chance.

2. Dumb for the NHL and the CBA. Why should Berard get off scot-free simply because he was caught before a certain date? Is that fair to the other players in the league?

3. Dumb if the Columbus Blue Jackets fail to do anything. Even a slap on the wrist to send a message a positive PR message to the fans.

Before the witch-hunt begins, it is plausible that he was taking a tainted supplement.
It should be noted that the IOC was able to find Nandrolone in over 14% of muscle-building supplements it tested - all claiming to be "natural", "safe" or "steroid free".
The supplement industry is barely regulated in the USA, as the lobbyist have done a great job in ensuring that their supplements aren't given the same stringent regulations as normal medicine or food products.

Now, Bryan Berard is not the type of player you'd associate with steroids. He's not particularly strong nor is he all that physical.

Why would he be taking steroids??

Well, let's go back to my in-depth look at steroids from back in March.

To the uneducated layman, steroids are taken by big muscleheads for the pure purpose of gaining bulk. One might think popping a few pills or injecting some liquid into one’s ass would just turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger.
That simply is not true.

The 4 main benefits from steroid use:


To increase muscle size and strength.
To speed recovery time.
To increase energy levels during workouts.
To increase the oxidation rise of fat.

Items 2 and 3 on the list above would be of great importance to hockey players.
Over the course of a season, an NHL player has to slog through 82 games, countless practices, and a handful of meaningless exhibition games before they even get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs marathon.
If Berard was taking steroids in the off-season to aid with recovery and bulk up a little before getting off them to start the season, it might explain why Bob MacKenzie just stated Berard tested negative in a later test.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more. Mr. Berard, it isn't always good to be first.

# posted by Unknown @ 6:34 pm
Comments:
And here's a guy who's -23 in 40 games on steroids. Where would he be if he was all-natural?
# posted by Blogger JP : 7:57 am
 
"Bryan Berard Tests Positive for Steroids

Obviously, they weren't defensive-enhancing steroids."

That's Gold Jerry.. GOLD!

A good post, however that one liner said it in a nutshell.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:37 pm
 
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