Professionals Can Take It or Leave It

High school athletes with creatine in their muscles and on their minds want to know who of their heroes take it and how often.

At a recent clinic at Harvard-Westlake High in Studio City, the first question asked of a group of San Francisco 49ers wasn’t about blocking or tackling. It was about the power powder.

“[49er linebacker] Gary Plummer took the microphone and said that he and several of his teammates use it,” Harvard-Westlake Coach Dave Bennett said. “He informed, he didn’t recommend. He said, ‘If you are going to try this, you’d better know what you are doing.’ ”

Easier said than done, even for the 49ers. The team’s coaches and trainers treat creatine the way most of their high school counterparts do: They take no position on its use and do not provide it to players.

About half of the professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams that responded to a recent USA Today survey on creatine neither approved nor disapproved of its use.

Some teams in each sport dole it out, whereas others ban it outright. Approval appears more widespread in basketball, and more baseball teams disapprove than teams in the other three sports.

Among the teams giving the thumbs-up are the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders in football and the Lakers and Clippers in basketball. Those teams and others estimate that a quarter to three-quarters of their players use the substance.

Among disapproving teams are the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres in baseball, the Pittsburgh Penguins in hockey and the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots in football.

Dodger physician Mickey Mellman and trainer Charlie Strasser do not recommend using creatine, although they acknowledge that several players take it anyway.

“We don’t put it out in the training room,” Strasser said. “Our medical staff will continue to review literature, but we don’t endorse or issue it.”

Plummer and his 49er teammates who take creatine do it without the blessing of Mike Barnes, their strength and development coordinator.

“It appears to be safe, but it’s not the message I want to send,” Barnes said. “It’s like saying, ‘Here’s an easy way.’ ”