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If USA Track & Field were a college sports program, it would undoubtedly receive the so-called death penalty: being shut down for at least one full season. Too bad it isn't. In the wake of the recent string of positive drug tests surrounding the discovery of the designer steroid THG, track deserves no less than the NCAA's harshest sanction, one reserved for only the worst offenders.

Last week, the Chicago Tribune cited sources who said that hammer thrower John McEwen, two-time U.S. indoor champion in the 35-pound weight throw, was among four U.S. track athletes who tested positive this summer for THG. That revelation followed by one day the news that Regina Jacobs, a respected veteran and middle-distance star, was another among the tainted four. Reigning U.S. shot-put champion Kevin Toth was also recently reported to have been caught.

That leaves just one still-anonymous culprit. And if you believe that, I've got Jets Super Bowl tickets to sell you.

The THG scandal -- along with the unrelated federal investigation into a Bay Area drug clinic to which numerous big-time athletes are linked -- has already severely damaged track and field, one of the world's most popular sports, and it has begun to taint baseball and football as well.

That is not good for sports, and the misconduct must be stopped now.

Before this scandal ends, it will likely bring down some superstars, or at least diminish their achievements. Other lesser-known players will quietly disappear. More than a few track-and-field luminaries will likely be severely sanctioned for their positive tests, some even banned for life from competition.

This is not enough.

No one -- including myself, a long-time track fan -- will be able to watch one moment of the Olympic competition without wondering whether the men and women in the starting blocks arrived there due to hard work, dedication and skill, or or via some underground drug store. And that will be a shame.

There is only one way to prevent such questions from arising in the minds of fans: The U.S. Olympic Committee should shut down USA Track & Field.

Not forever, of course. But long enough to flush out the plague and restore confidence in the sport. USA Track & Field has already been ordered by the U.S. Olympic Committee to cooperate fully with any investigation, re-focus on the behavior of its athletes and return in a month with a report on progress toward cleaning up the sport.

A realistic goal might be to return to competition in the spring of 2005, but only if the sport proves that it has done everything possible to rid performance-enhancing drugs from its midst.

That means:

* All track and field competitors should submit to random drug tests.

* All athletes and coaches should sign a pledge to perform "clean" or risk a permanent ban from competition.

* An all-out assault to discover new performance-enhancing drugs that have heretofore escaped detection should be launched.

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Skipping the Olympics and shutting down the sport would hurt many clean athletes. They would be innocent victims in a war that must be waged. For them, USA Track & Field could stage a "clean" games on home soil. All athletes who want to participate must agree to be tested well before and after the competition.

Corporate supporters (including Sports Illustrated) who've stood by the U.S. Olympic movement through its years of drama, intrigue and scandal will perhaps say "enough" and take their dollars elsewhere. The thought here is that they won't. Or, if they do, myriad companies would be eager to associate themselves with the cleaned-up version of the sport that emerges following the hiatus.

In truth, for the long-term viability of the sport, this is really the only viable option, the only way track and field officials and athletes can ensure that they will not be answering the same questions this time next year. And it's the only way fans will begin asking again, "Who won?" instead of "Who's using?"

Roy S. Johnson is an assistant managing editor for Sports Illustrated. His "Pass the Word" column appears on SI.com every Friday. Catch Johnson on CNN Headline News every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET.