Supplements becoming major concern

Sporting News, The, August 27, 2001 by Matt Hayes

They jump out on the shelves, the big, bright letters emblazoned on the package screaming at you to get tough.

Shape up or fall behind. Hard word, hard body. No pain, no gain. Do you know how hard your opponent is working?

Turn the bottle of the muscle-enhancing supplement and glance at the words in fine print that apparently aren't as important as busting your tail to be better, stronger, faster.

Consult your physician before using this product if you have a history of heart problems.

Stop using this product if you incur dizzy spells, shortness of breath or cramping.

Use under direct supervision of a trained professional is recommended.

The NCAA recently released a study saying more than 40 percent of its athletes use muscle-enhancing supplements for weight training. Don't kid yourself--it's much higher. But a figure of more than 40 percent should be alarming enough, especially considering that FDA is toothless in its regulation of supplements.

"We're on the edge right now with this thing," says Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville.

No one knows how dangerous supplements really are. Some supplements, taken under supervision and within dosage limits, are in fact advantageous for athletes. But there still are obvious questions.

Since early spring, three college players have died during offseason workouts: DeVaughn Darling of Florida State, Eraste Autin of Florida and Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern. The medical examiner in the Darling case couldn't come up with a specific cause of death, and the cause of Autin's death was ruled heat stroke. The preliminary coroner's report gave bronchial asthma as the cause of Wheeler's death, pending a detailed toxicology report.

Nonetheless, Northwestern officials are investigating whether a number of football players, including Wheeler, took a supplement before a strenuous conditioning test during which Wheeler collapsed and died just before finishing. The product in question, Ultimate Orange, contains the stimulant ephedrine, which is banned by the NCAA. The manufacturer stopped making Ultimate Orange in May.

Wheeler's family has hired prominent attorney Johnnie Cochran to investigate the circumstances of his death, and famed civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson also is involved.

Last year, the NCAA ruled universities could not supply athletes with muscle-enhancing supplements that exceed 30 percent protein, which is the key to building muscle mass (read: being stronger than the guy across the line from you). By doing so, the NCAA said, it was eliminating a competitive advantage for certain schools.

For instance, LSU has the resources to provide athletes with unlimited supplements and in-depth education about the products. Louisiana-Monroe, on the other hand, might not have the resources to do as much, therefore creating a competitive advantage for LSU.

But instead of evening the field with its supplement ruling, the NCAA essentially cut athletes loose to fend for themselves. Universities still can provide supplements, but the competitive fire in some athletes will push them beyond what their schools can offer.

"You just can't stick your head in the sand because you're going to have problems," says Rob Glass, Florida's director of strength and conditioning. "Kids are going to work harder to be better than the other guy; that's a given. If they can't get it here, they'll go somewhere else. Believe me, this is a major problem."

Over the last month, the deaths of Darling, Autin and Wheeler--and that of star NFL lineman Korey Stringer--have brought about discussions of coaches pushing athletes to the brink, and in some cases too far. But just how much is too much? And is it really any different than the practices of 10, 20 or 30 years ago?

Frank Kush's fall camp at Arizona State was notorious for its severity. If you weren't blowing chunks or passing out, you weren't working hard enough. Bear Bryant's summer camps in Junction, Texas, while he was the coach at Texas A&M, and his legendary all-day workouts at Alabama were said to be the backbone of his championship teams.

"We weren't even allowed water when I played," says Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill, who played for Bryant at Alabama. "If you were getting ready to pass out, they'd give you a couple of salt tablets to perk you up. We weren't doing anything different (conditioning-wise) than we are now."

But now the focus is on constant hydrating, constant supervision and, yes, constant breaks from the heat. Florida State even has planted shade trees on its practice field for players to walk under and take a break from the heat. Yet there still are problems popping up all over the country.

Athletes are heavier and stronger these days, and weight certainly could be a factor in the recent problems. But any coach at any level will tell you that athletes don't push themselves any harder than their predecessors. So where is the ignition to all the sudden problems?

Maybe it's glaring back at you from the shelves of your local store.

M@IL BONDING

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