In a recent article, Denver Post sports writer, John Meyer asks his readers to give Boston Red Sox outfielder David Ortiz the benefit of the doubt that Ortiz may not have knowingly used steroids. He states, “We have to consider the possibility that he is telling the truth”. Okay, I think I understand why giving Mr. Ortiz the benefit of the doubt is reasonable.

Is steroid use excusable in athletes?

     Should we excuse steroid use in atheletes?

The fact that Mr. Meyer suggests that Mr. Ortiz’s ignorance of steroid use could be based on a congressional bill passed in 1994 doesn’t get the same consideration. Congress passed DSHEA (dietary supplement health & education act) to help regulate the dietary supplement industry. A key component in the bill was that the FDA would have to prove that a supplement was “unsafe” in order to remove it from the marketplace. I imagine that the FDA would love to have a budget large enough to inspect every questionable product being sold but they don’t and besides nowhere does DSHEA suggest that a product is “safe” until proven otherwise. Mr. Meyers article suggests just that and wants us all to overlook the simple fact that professional athletes are being duped into taking steroids because the FDA hasn’t proven them unsafe. Was Major League Baseball taking this same stance? In order to protect the game from itself MLB was actively testing athletes for steroids. I wonder if David Ortiz missed that memo?

Mr. Meyer accurately stated, “There is no denying that some manufacturers of supplements spike their products. I’m guessing here that the thought never occurred to Davis Ortiz? A headline article in the USA Today quotes Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo as saying although he “never knowingly took steroids, he felt the lure to take the same performance-enhancing drugs MLB eventually would ban.” What kind of logic does Bronson Arroyo have that David Ortiz didn’t?

Mr. Meyer closes by saying that even if Mr. Ortiz isn’t telling the truth his case is an important reminder that a supplement doesn’t have to be safe to be sold. No John, word on the street is that smoking is bad for you too but cigarettes are legal and I don’t see athletes getting the issue confused in the same way as they do with steroids. One enhances their performance; one doesn’t; yet there isn’t any confusion or excuses coming from athletes that they had a drop in performance because they smoked cigarettes unwittingly.

The dietary supplement industry is being asked to take responsibility for its actions and is doing so with a great deal of effort and pride. When will the athletes in this country take responsibility for their actions? It might even be time for journalists who make excuses for steroid use to do the same thing.