Hank Steinbrenner - "Football has a bigger steroid problem than baseball"

[downtown43]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3252386


[h1]Hank Steinbrenner says football has bigger steroid problem than baseball[/h1]
Associated Press

Updated: February 18, 2008, 11:25 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla. -- Hank Steinbrenner insists baseball is being picked on for its trouble with performance-enhancing drugs, and claims the problem is bigger infootball.

"I don't like baseball being singled out," the New York Yankees senior vicepresident said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday night.

[h3]Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs.

[/h3]
--Hank Steinbrenner

"Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritatesme. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players."

Answered NFL spokesman Greg Aiello: "We've had year-round random testing with immediate suspensions since 1990 and we conduct approximately 12,000steroids tests a year."

Steinbrenner's comments came after Andy Pettitte met with reporters for thefirst time since the Yankees pitcher was named in the Mitchell report. Two days after the report was released in December, Pettitte confirmed he used humangrowth hormone in 2002; two weeks ago, he told congressional investigators he also used HGH for one day in 2004.

"A lot of baseball people thought that baseball would be the last sport that it would be a problem in and probably just ignored it too long,"Steinbrenner said. "But the fact is it's been in football a long time and it's been in basketball, I'msure. Why baseball is being singled out, I don't know. I don't know. I know all the excuses -- `Well, it's America's game and it's thestatistics.'

"That's not an excuse. If a sport is riddled with it, it's riddled with it. Why aren't they looking at the NFL?" he said.

Steinbrenner said baseball will "clean up the game."

"We're going to do it," he said.

---

this fool is trying to deflect the attention to the superior league when he finds out multiple players on his team were cheating.

and basketball? are you serious? he seriously thinks basketball has a steroid problem?

his team, players, and sport is neck-deep in scandals right now. this dude needs to be quiet and just take the L

 

[ironmanfitness]

^ummm why should he be quiet when its true?.....and why are the yankees the only team being singled out in the mitchell report it makes ns sense. Nomar and movaugh used hgh with the red sox and im sure if they dig deeper theyll see every team has players involved.

the fact of the matter is that every sport is corrupt in some manner

 

[bullsrepeat3peat]

and it's been in basketball, I'm sure

this dude.... I know he ain't talking about the NBA..... he better be talkin about some junkyard rec league steroid convention or some +#+*

 

[ballinboykz]

Man, who is Hank to come out and say something like that.

Big Whoop.

 

[aj33]

i believe what he says 100%. some of these baseball players taking steroids don't even look like they're juicing, but there are countless nfl playersthat look like the hulk and no regular food diet or strength training can make you look like that.

 

[dyyhard]

Shawn Merriman would disagree vehementviolent ly

 

[eaglebball1499]

There's a valid point to be made in what he's saying, but damn, he just comes off like a whiny you-know-what who's trying to deflect attention fromhis franchise being a major pillar of the steroid era's demise.

 

[nbadotcom]

Originally Posted by BullsRepeat3Peat

and it's been in basketball, I'm sure

this dude.... I know he ain't talking about the NBA..... he better be talkin about some junkyard rec league steroid convention or some +#+*

Maybe you haven't seen this guy play.

 

[the pga tour]

Originally Posted by eaglebball1499

There's a valid point to be made in what he's saying, but damn, he just comes off like a whiny you-know-what who's trying to deflect attention from his franchise being a major pillar of the steroid era's demise.

co-sign

but i think at least 80% use in football....gunna?

 

[the north west]

^^^^^
LOL

that is why he is such a good player

 

[bullsrepeat3peat]

Originally Posted by NBAdotcom

Maybe you haven't seen this guy play.

good one Zo.....

 

[barondavis5]

He speaks the truth and

at anyone who thinks NBA players take steroids.

 

[nbadotcom]

The thing is - he's right.

Any MLB player gets ACCUSED of using anything and he's automatically looked at as a horrible cheating piece of $$$#. It doesn't matter if he fails adrug test or not...his name just has to me MENTIONED and everyone gets all bent out of shape.


But in football you have a guy like Shawne Merriman who actually FAILS a drug test then is the defensive player of the year, and gets in the pro bowl andnobody even remembers the fact that he's roided up. It's a huge double standard.

 

[ooiron manoo]

I think he blew it by mentioning basketball, but he is right about the NFL having a steroid problem. No on cares though, Football is America's favoritechild right now. All of it's problems are poo poo'ed and swept under the rug.

 

[bigmike23]

NFL gets a free pass because they have had steriod testing in for years and suspends players for using it.

 

[dsk aka illoquent]

He's right but WHOA!

Because he's a Steinbrenner and he's on the Yankees people are automatically going to give him the stoneface and

@ him.

Baseball simply gets more scrutiny because (as of now) a lot of the great players have been caught cheating and because of the records that have been tarnishedin a game where statistics mean much.

I don't know about the NBA now....but def. the NFL.

But in football you have a guy like Shawne Merriman who actually FAILS a drug test then is the defensive player of the year, and gets in the pro bowl and nobody even remembers the fact that he's roided up. It's a huge double standard.


perfect example

 

[assistantsupervisor81]

The NFL's drug policy is pretty strict. First time you fail its 4 games no pay, 2nd time is 8 games no pay, and third time you get suspended for one yearno pay. If its such a huge problem in the NFL how come there aren't so many players suspended all the time.

 

[the pga tour]

Originally Posted by AssistantSupervisor81

The NFL's drug policy is pretty strict. First time you fail its 4 games no pay, 2nd time is 8 games no pay, and third time you get suspended for one year no pay. If its such a huge problem in the NFL how come there aren't so many players suspended all the time.

because they don't test for HGH. (i think.)

 

[three6mafia2007]

 

[iwhohavenothing]

just take the L hank.

 

[dajoka004]

It's not a "problem" for football.

 

[gregzzy23]

Originally Posted by NBAdotcom

The thing is - he's right.

Any MLB player gets ACCUSED of using anything and he's automatically looked at as a horrible cheating piece of $$$#. It doesn't matter if he fails a drug test or not...his name just has to me MENTIONED and everyone gets all bent out of shape.


But in football you have a guy like Shawne Merriman who actually FAILS a drug test then is the defensive player of the year, and gets in the pro bowl and nobody even remembers the fact that he's roided up. It's a huge double standard.

1000% agree

Hes not trying to deflect any attention, you think he'll make this statement and people will start running to the NFL to question them? EASILY, morethan half of the NFL roids up its not even an issue but they're at the top so no one cares. Remember when baseball was at the top in 96 and look whathappened. They better not get caught up.

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by NBAdotcom

The thing is - he's right.

Any MLB player gets ACCUSED of using anything and he's automatically looked at as a horrible cheating piece of $$$#. It doesn't matter if he fails a drug test or not...his name just has to me MENTIONED and everyone gets all bent out of shape.


But in football you have a guy like Shawne Merriman who actually FAILS a drug test then is the defensive player of the year, and gets in the pro bowl and nobody even remembers the fact that he's roided up. It's a huge double standard.

Nope, Merriman was suspended Immediately. That is the difference.
Baseball players had free reign where PED werent even against the rules. How u can even compare a league (MLB) that just now made steroid use a punishableoffense, to a league (NFL) that has been suspending people since the late 80s is pretty ridiculous.

@ putting any credence into what Hank has to say.

no regular food diet or strength training can make you look like that.

spoken like a true couch potato.

Hes not trying to deflect any attention

 

[gregzzy23]

^At this point theres nothing he can say to deflect attention come on now. The cameras and reporters will be there as long as its a story nothing he says willstop it.

 

[wildout4]

i honestly think that steroids is a bigger problem in college football than in the NFL