NFL Misstates Drug Problem: Magazine : Sports Illustrated Says League Blows Up Issue to Justify Hard Line

The NFL’s drug problem is not as serious as the league makes it out to be, according to Sports Illustrated.

In this week’s issue, the magazine said the NFL has turned up “scant evidence” of illicit drug use by players but deliberately gives the impression that it has a serious problem because it wants to maintain its strong anti-drug policy.

Sports Illustrated said it “has turned up widespread irregularities, inconsistencies and misrepresentations in nearly every facet of the NFL’s drug program. League officials have misstated the dimensions of drug use among players . . . depending on their public relations needs of the moment.

“They have seldom bothered to distinguish between players who are addicted and those who have used drugs recreationally.”

NFL spokesman Joe Browne reacted to the story by saying:

“Sports Illustrated has criticized our office in the past for not doing enough to address the drug issue. Now, they apparently are claiming that the NFL drug problem is not that serious. Editorial consistency evidently is not one of the magazine’s virtues.”

The magazine says a “probable explanation” for the NFL’s not divulging its low numbers of positive tests is that “to justify its brass-knuckles drug policy, the NFL needs to give the impression that drug use by players is widespread.

“The NFL has seized upon the perception that professional sports has a drug problem and has used that perception to try to improve the league’s image and to manipulate players. The NFL tests players and retests them and suspends them and releases their names, and the public assumes that Rozelle & Co. mean business about drugs.”