NCAA Drug Policy

As the need to be bigger, stronger and faster in sport increases, the higher the use of supplements and in turn the more dangerous training and playing for athletes become. For College athletes, the NCAA has gathered a list of performance enhancing and street drugs that are either ban from use or the amount used is controlled. However, does the NCAA take testing for the substances as serious as they should?

In my oppinion the NCAA does not take the testing portion serious enough! I feel that the ban substance list is something used to cover their butts. Although this may not be true for the bigger colleges, I feel that athletes in a D3 setting are getting away with alot more than they should. For example, if a D3 school makes it to the NCAA football tournament, they are not tested until round 2, allowing any athlete sufficient time to clear their system. I feel that it should be up to the athletic department's to randomly test at minimum 4 starters throughout the season and off season to prevent drug use. Furthermore, I was talking to a football transfer from U MASS Amherst, a D1AA school, who told me the only time they get tested is if they qualify for the playoffs. This gives these athletes from the beginning of the season to the time they clinch a birth to clear their system.

I do feel that it is correct to punish athletes for their actions, and I feel that the NCAA has proper punishment guidelines. However, they need to take testing more serious not only for the protection of the athlete taking the drug, potentially causing damage to him/her self, but for the safety of the other athletes who may get hurt by an athlete because they have had an unfair advantage preparing for the same sport.