Ever try to call customer service and wait forever? Or call up your bank only to be on hold for half the day. That's what Bernard Berrian says happened when he called the NFL hotline to check out some supplements in regard to the NFL steroids policy. Just like an overdraft, if a player messes up it doesn't matter; he is likely to receive a steep penalty. (ESPN)
The NFL provides a hotline for players to contact if they want to find out large bureaucracies supplements contain ingredients banned by the league. However, Minnesota Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian said sometimes there's nobody at the other end of the line.
In an interview with Sirius satellite radio, Berrian said he had tried twice to call the hotline and never got a call back, before getting a reply on his third attempt.
In an e-mail to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league would "follow up" on Berrian's comments to make sure the hotline is operating properly.
"You've got to take some responsibility and call into that hotline [to inquire about the legality of certain products]," Berrian said. "But I know one thing about that hotline. I've called twice before and actually never gotten ahold of anybody sometimes. So even when you try to do the right thing sometimes it is still hard to get ahold of somebody and really find out what you're really taking."
Berrian talked about the hotline after being asked about teammates Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, both of whom reportedly are facing suspensions for taking a banned weight-loss diuretic.
The NFL isn't going to like their collective feet held to the fire over this one. But like the Govt, large bureaucracies are not likely to fess up to problems; rather they will hold individuals responsible even though there are glitches along the way.
In the e-mail to the Star Tribune, Aiello said the hotline is maintained by an independent
group and it is open during "extended business hours." Players who leave messages are supposed to get calls back, something the league will investigate after hearing Berrian's comments.
Earlier this week, Vikings coach Brad Childress said it's on the players to know what they are putting in their bodies.
"They get a list of what's in and what's out," Childress said. "But it's up to them, once again, whether they're reading labels. I mean, strict liability is strict liability."
"But Coach, what about the playoffs hotline"?
Playoffs Hotline?" Don't talk about the Playoffs hotline"'
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