How bad was the NFL's drug problem in the 70's and 80's (1 Viewer)

Saintman2884

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I got this in my mind because I am watching the MLB Congressional hearings right now on TV and the thought of that article came to mind way way back. Basically it was a huge expose on how the NFL and its drug problems in the 70's and early 80's. Cocaine, freebasing, amphetamines, my God did they not use?

but I want some feedback on this because the NFL after hearing about this report and the backlash that came with it, they did the right thing IMHO. they got a very strict drug testing policy that is not perfect, but is one of the best in American sports now and has been for the past 25 years.

I realize that Reese is not exactly a popular Saints player in its long history, but I did read a report in Jeff Duncan;s book and it really shocked the NFL into action.

Thinking of it now, that whole incident could have broken the NFL's credibility.
Could MLB follow their example now that the cat is out of the bag and their rep is being seriously damaged.
 
Simply a sign of the times and a reflection of that generation. It happened in all walks of life. Not surprisingly, it occurred on a football team as well.

As in all generations, society is different today than it was then. To compare then and now is difficult at best.
 
Mike and Mike raised an interesting point this morning which is with football being such a violent, and team oriented game you expect players to be big and hit hard all the time and you don't get the random eye popping individual stats that you get in baseball from suspected roid users.

That said it's pretty widely accepted that most of the 70's Steelers defense was on the juice, we all know that Lawrence Taylor's life consisted of doing coke off of a stripper on Satuday then hitting QBs on Sunday, and more recently 7 or so of the 2003 Panthers were suspected of roids.
 
Anybody that does not recognize that performance enhancing drugs are a major part of every professional sport is just plain ignorant.
 
I know we had our problems with nose candy, most notably Muncie and Rogers. I remember reading that during the late 70's -early 80's that it was a huge problem in our locker room, not just with those two. They were the ones that got caught.
 
read (the original) LT's book... he used cocaine, smoked crack, until caught twice... he played 5 more years and he says that not a day went by when he couldn't wait for retirement so he could smoke some more crack... he said "if you weren't a hooker or a dealer, i didn't want to know you"
 
Im a huge fan of professional cycling. Now there is a sport that has been rotten to the core for years. Thankfully they are now all getting caught & banned. Hopefully the younger generation coming through will clean it up.
 
Like kooldak said, it was a sign of the times. Society as a whole was doing a lot of dope back then. I got high with policemen and I did some coke at a party with a district attorney. It was everywhere.
 
Mike and Mike raised an interesting point this morning which is with football being such a violent, and team oriented game you expect players to be big and hit hard all the time and you don't get the random eye popping individual stats that you get in baseball from suspected roid users.

That said it's pretty widely accepted that most of the 70's Steelers defense was on the juice, we all know that Lawrence Taylor's life consisted of doing coke off of a stripper on Satuday then hitting QBs on Sunday, and more recently 7 or so of the 2003 Panthers were suspected of roids.

Don't forget that safety for that one AFC East team that got suspended this year, too. :9:
 
i know a NFL player who has said trainers and people give you a heads up on drug testing. Methods of how to counter them. This player is in the NFL right now.
 
The book and movie North Dallas Forty did a lot of telling like it was. I know people that used to hang out with some of the Saints in the 70's and told stories about how Lindsay Scott & Chuck Muncie (2 1st round picks with star potential) ruined their careers. Of course, it wasn't just the Saints. The league is a lot cleaner today.
 
No worse than anyone with wads of money that only worked 1/2 a year!
 

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