Reports now say eight players -- including Deuce McAllister -- fail NFL doping tests; may sit out for violating 'steroids' policy

It is now reported (Sports Examiner and ESPN ) that 8 NFL players appear to be having doping problems after using the diuretic bumetanide (which can be used as a masking agent for steroids).  The drug is used to treat kidney and cardiac disease, NOT AS A WEIGHT LOSS DRUG.  Sorry attorneys that hokum don't go down 'round here.  (our other post on the issue here)

Three members of the New Orleans Saints -- running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will SmithCharles Grant -- are among a number of NFL players confirmed to have tested positive under the NFL's steroid policy, ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen reports.

Mortensen confirmed through league and union sources on Saturday that the number of pending cases on the positive tests in violation of the steroids policy is eight.

Sources also have confirmed for Mortensen that four of the eight have tested positive for the diuretic Bumetanide, which belongs to a subset of medicines known as water pills that enable users to lose weight , but it is unclear who those four players are.

Mortensen also confirmed that Houston Texans long snapper Bryan Pittman is among those players to test positive for using a weight-loss supplement.

The attorney hired better bone up on pharmacology because bumetanide is not a weight loss drug....

... attorney David Cornwell to represent him in the process. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle on Friday, Cornwell said, "Bryan did everything humanly possible to comply with the NFL steroid policy, including obtaining doctors' written authorization to take weight-loss medication. He did not use steroids."

Cornwell told Mortensen he has been retained by "a number of players" to represent them in the NFL appeals process, but Cornwell wouldn't identify those players or the exact number he will represent.

"The recent reports about pending appeals by players who are alleged to have used weight loss supplements reflect the most egregious violation of the NFL steroid policy," Cornwell said in his statement. "The foundation of the policy is both a player's right to appeal and an absolute right to confidentiality. By leaking this story, the 'source' is clearly attempting to put their thumb on the scale of justice and harm these men."

There may be other PEDs involved beyond the diuretic as noted here:

According to Anderson's report, McAllister and Smith are part of a group that tested positive for a diuretic known as Bumetanide. Others tested positive for a different substance.

"Most of them tested positive for Bumetanide," said the league source, according to Fox 31-Denver. "The last few tested positive for another substance that works similarly."

Wonder what other PEDs are being looked at?

Comments

[Millard Baker]

I disagree with your assessment of the "weight loss" supplement claim not having any legal merit.

Diuretics clearly lead to weight loss. But only the kind of weight loss that appeals to individuals who are obsessed with the scale.

Diuretics don't lead to fat loss (which is the real goal of most weight loss programs). The point you made about this is well taken.

It is nonetheless a common (if not misguided) method of weight loss that thousands of people use. You overlook the fact that the sports nutrition industry has numerous diuretic products marketed for weight loss. They have names like StarCaps, Shredded, Diraxatone, Taraxatone, Hydrazide, etc.

Some of them are even contaminated with bumetanide.

http://www.steroidreport.com/2008/10/26/bumetanide-used-by-nfl-players-to-mask-anabolic-steroid-use/

[Steroid Nation]

Most of the supplement industry offers crap as diuretics. Crap with unproven efficacy (sorry about the emotional reaction, but the supplement industry has long abused product claims).

Diuretics can cause weight loss in the same way getting hair cut can cause weight loss -- temporary loss. A normal person will quickly replete fluids to regain the fluid weight (which is not just water). To say diuretics help lose weight is inviting abuse of thee potent drugs.

The is a magnitude of difference between a diuretic like Lasix (furosemide), this drug and the nonsense sold in health food stores (although caffeine is a diuretic which my daily high dose of Red Bull shows). Having published papers in Lasix I appreciate the major side effects that these drugs can cause.

There is no use for a diuretic in an NFL player. Wati till one drops dead of a fatal arrhythmia taking one of these drugs as a masking agent.

[Millard Baker]

Diuretics can cause weight loss in the same way getting hair cut can cause weight loss -- temporary loss. A normal person will quickly replete fluids to regain the fluid weight (which is not just water). To say diuretics help lose weight is inviting abuse of thee potent drugs.

You agree diuretics can cause (temporary) weight loss. But you go on to say that stating such invites the abuse of diuretics.

The truth is the truth. If diuretics cause temporary weight loss (through increased fluid excretion), then that fact can not be ignored or denied simply for the purpose of preventing abuse of diuretics for that purposes.

At any rate, this completely misses my point. Dietary supplements don't always contain diuretics that are "nonsense." Sometimes they actually are contaminated with pharmaceutical diuretics:

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Detection of Bumetanide in an Over-the-Counter Dietary Supplement

Authors: Hoggan, Archie M.1; Shelby, Melinda K.1; Crouch, Dennis J.1; Borges, Chad R.2; Slawson, Matthew H.1

Source: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 31, Number 9, November/December 2007 , pp. 601-604(4)

[Millard Baker]

I agree with you on the dangers of diuretics. Diuretic use by athletes (whether for "weight loss" reasons or performance-enhancing reasons) is infinitely more dangerous than anabolic steroids.

[Fast Weight Loss Tips]

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