Surprise drug roils the NFL

Last update: October 28, 2008 - 11:48 AM

A prescription diuretic approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1983 could become a familiar name to football fans in 2008.

It's bumetanide.

Several players, including two Vikings, reportedly have tested positive for the drug, which recently was added to the NFL's list of banned substances.

Bumetanide was intended for people who suffer from excessive fluid in the body caused by heart failure or kidney problems. It is banned under the NFL's Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances because players could use it to mask steroid use.

Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams were named in a Fox Sports story Sunday as players who could face four-game suspensions. Because the investigation and appeals process are confidential, the league and the Vikings would not specifically comment Monday. No suspensions are imminent.

There are 92 substances on the banned list, which was agreed to by the league's Management Council and the NFL Players Association. Among the substances are 47 anabolic/androgenic steroids and 24 masking agents.

Bumetanide is listed as a masking agent. The term "masking" is a bit deceptive.

"All labs, when they test, they check the concentration level of anything they test for," said Dr. Philip Wenger, an assistant professor at the St. Louis (Mo.) College of Pharmacy. "That's done to eliminate the possibility of a false positive. What bumetanide does is increase the amount of urine considerably, to the point where it dilutes the contents. But any lab would have a certain level of dilution that's acceptable."

Debating supplements

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday that the number of players testing positive for bumetanide could exceed 15. Mortensen also reported that several of those players are considering a suit against the manufacturer of StarCaps, a weight-loss supplement they claim did not disclose bumetanide on its label.

While that could help the players recoup damages against StarCaps, it would not help them in their appeal of the four-game suspension that comes with a first-time offense.

Ignorance can't be used as a defense. Page 23 of the policy advises players "to avoid the use of supplements altogether." It also warns them in capital letters that ignoring this advice comes "AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

The NFL and the players union also understand that the use of legal, over-the-counter supplements is widespread among NFL players. That's why the league and the union came together and created the label certification program with Abbott Laboratories, the parent company of EAS supplements.

Players taking EAS products through league distribution are guaranteed to get supplements free of any banned substances. Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the former Academy of Holy Angels high school star, endorses EAS products.

"I think as a player you have to be aware of what you put in your body," he told the Star Tribune for a story in 2006. "This is your body, this is your career, this is your livelihood that's at stake when you put things in your body.

"I'm not going to take anything that I don't know is official because that's my image. I have my name, my dad's name, I have a lot of people that I have to look out for in terms of every decision I make, so I don't want to embarrass myself or my family by doing anything that's going to bring negative publicity to myself. So anything I take or anything I do, I'm always double and triple checking it."

They use what they know

Naturally, not all players embrace the EAS products. They prefer supplements they're more familiar with.

"It's like comparing a Ford Escort to a Lamborghini," said Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe when asked to compare his supplement of choice, which he didn't want to name, to the EAS supplements.

"The Escort will get you there. But my supplements will get you there."

Shiancoe said he checks all of his supplements with the union's list of approved supplements.

"I've never tested positive for anything," Shiancoe said.

Sitting on a stool next to Shiancoe in the Vikings' locker room on Monday was receiver Robert Ferguson. He was mixing an orange-flavored supplement drink from a powder given to him by Shiancoe.

"You sure this stuff is OK?" Ferguson said to Shiancoe. "I don't want you getting me in any trouble."

Supplemental shakes, drinks and power bars are commonplace in any NFL locker room. A lot of NFL players, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, endorse Advocare supplements.

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/33419924.html