High Time To Make Some Rules

?"We have no written rules on the subject of drugs," says Haskell Cohen, for 17 years the National Basketball Association publicity director. "The league does not interfere with individual club trainers."

?National Hockey League officials say they do not recall ever issuing any statement or laying down rules about the use of drugs. Ken McKenzie—now publisher of The Hockey News and longtime NHL publicity director—says, "I can honestly say that in my 17 years with the NHL, I never heard any talk about drugs."

?"Responding to your request for verbatim rules and policies of the NCAA and NAIA on the use of pep pills, weight builders, painkillers, etc., neither organization has any formal rules or stated policy on this matter. The NCAA says it relies on trainers and team physicians to protect the welfare of its athletes. The NAIA says no need has arisen for formal rules or policy statements," reports a Kansas City correspondent.

?Howard Grubbs, executive secretary of the Southwest Conference: "We don't have any regulations on drugs, alcoholic beverages or anything. That's up to the individual schools."

?William E. (Pinky) Newell, trainer at Purdue University and for 16 years the executive secretary of the National Athletic Trainers Association: "All trainers are very much opposed to the use of drugs, but as an association no policies have been made or initiated or directed to anyone at all because this is a medical problem."

?From the minutes of the May 20, 1967 meeting of the team physicians of the Pacific Eight Conference: "We recommend that the conference adopt a policy endorsing the American Medical Association Committee on the Medical Aspects of Sports" suggestions on drug usage in athletics, particularly with reference to banning the use of pep pills, anabolic steroids and any other artificial aids which hopefully and supposedly improve performance." The resolution was not acted upon.

?A letter dated Dec. 1, 1967 from Edwin J. Holman, director of the AMA's Department of Medical Ethics to a San Francisco physician: "I have your letter of November 29 asking if it is legal and ethical for you 'to prescribe moderate doses of anabolic agents to weight lifters for two or three weeks prior to competition, followed by intervals of three months or more without these agents.' No categorical answer can be made to your inquiry inasmuch as this is basically a medical question. The physician must exercise sound medical judgment in prescribing any drug. Sound medical judgment is not determined by the courts, but rather by fellow physicians...."

A variety of reasons are given for the absence of any drug regulations. The most common is that there is no problem, that doping is something that is done only by depraved European bicycle racers—"therefore there is no need for rules in our sport."

Such remarks made about almost any sport are at the very least nonsense, and at worst deliberate lies. In almost any American sport athletes are using drugs which, if they were horses, European cyclists or soccer players or Olympians, would get them suspended, fined or even imprisoned.

If a no-drugging code were suddenly implemented at midseason in pro football, it is doubtful that a single team could field an offense or defense. Indeed, if such a code is ever passed in pro football, careers are certain to be affected and there will be a difficult period of adjustment.