Style Over Substance : Players See Role of Image in Drug Policy, Resent Implications

Trace Armstrong, a defensive end for the Chicago Bears, understands the importance of image.

“I don’t know how much respect fans would have for players if they felt we were a bunch of drugged-up genetic aberrations,” Armstrong said from his Florida home. “So, it’s important for the players to appear to maintain some type of bond with the average guy.”

Thus, in principle, Armstrong understands why NFL officials have mounted a campaign against drug use, whether the drug is an anabolic steroid or cocaine. Every time a player is involved in a drug incident, the league’s image is tarnished.

But as a law student, Armstrong has Constitutional questions about the league’s program. His concerns have been echoed across the country wherever drug testing in the workplace has been implemented.

“The steroid policy makes the assumption that everyone is guilty, and that everyone wants to take steroids,” Armstrong said.

A player can be tested as many as seven times during the regular season and twice during the off-season in the league’s random selection process. The league said it administered about 6,000 tests before and during the 1992 season, and did not have a positive result among roster players.

Armstrong, who said he did not know what a steroid was until he was well into his college career at Alabama, said many players dislike random testing.

“Just the thought of coming in after a tough game on Sunday and you’ve got a guy from the league with a cup in his hand and he says, ‘Urinate right here for me now and you can’t leave until you do,’ “Armstrong said. “If you don’t do it you’re suspended.”

He also objects to the strident collection process in which former law enforcement officers have been hired to ensure players do not tamper with their samples.

“It’s a little dehumanizing,” he said.

Armstrong’s complaints are understood by Dr. John Lombardo, NFL adviser on anabolic steroids. But Lombardo said that individual players have to make sacrifices for the overall good to ensure a level playing field and reduce health risks.

“It is difficult to sit there when you are one of the innocent ones, having someone watch you urinate,” Lombardo said. “But I think that is a small price to pay for him to be less sore on weekends and not having to feel he is being forced to do something.”