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August 1, 2005

UTK Special

Rafael Palmeiro

by Will Carroll

Major League Baseball announced the suspension of Rafael Palmeiro on Monday. Under the terms of the collectively bargained Joint Testing Program, Palmeiro was suspended for ten days without pay. The likely Hall of Famer is by far the biggest name caught in the steroid dragnet. Palmeiro famously pointed his finger during sworn Congressional testimony, saying “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never. The reference to me in Mr. Canseco's book is absolutely false.”

Rumors began circulating this weekend that something was brewing. I heard from no fewer than three independent sources that a “big story” was breaking. In retrospect, it appears that news of Palmeiro’s test and hearing before an arbitrator was leaking. Palmeiro becomes the seventh player that tested positive under the newly negotiated testing policy that took effect before the 2005 season. Palmeiro has issued a statement saying that he “has never intentionally taken steroids.” An independent arbiter heard his grievance and upheld the ten day suspension. This suspension brings up many questions, so I will try to answer them as best I can:

What did he test positive for?

This is unknown. Under the terms of the Joint Testing Policy, the substance that caused the positive test is not publicly released. It is also unclear from the policy whether the team is informed of the exact substance. Thus far, no testing results have publicly leaked. Data released from 2003 and 2004 indicates that the most abused substances were deca-durabolin and winstrol. Winstrol does not have a classical half-life, while “deca,” the drug that Jason Giambi admitted using, has an active half-life of up to fifteen days. The “detectable period” for Winstrol is about 3 weeks for the oral and two months for the injectable. Deca can be detected in the body as much as twelve to eighteen months after use.

If he didn’t take them intentionally, how did they get there?

If we accept Palmeiro’s statement that he did not intentionally take steroids, the most likely culprit would be that he took an over-the-counter supplement that contained a substance that metabolized into a substance that created the positive test. This is not unheard of, due to cross-contamination in some factories, lax testing procedures, and/or vague guidelines for what is and is not a banned substance. As a member of the “No Tolerance Committee” formed after the spring Congressional hearings, Palmeiro should have little or no excuse for ingesting any substance that could have held a banned substance. The NFL has created a procedure under which supplements can be “blessed,” meaning that they are certified as clear of any banned substance. MLB has no such procedure.