Drugs Tests

Nebraska football Coach Tom Osborne said Friday that none of his fourth-ranked Cornhuskers tested positive for drugs and all will be eligible to play in the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl against third-ranked Florida State. Osborne said "about 135 to 140 players" made the Christmas Day trip here--"just about everybody who practiced this season on the varsity level." Drug tests were taken on campus earlier this month, per National Collegiate Athletic Assn. mandate for bowl-bound teams.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission fined and suspended boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Thursday over a failed drug test last year before a Mexican Independence Day fight in Las Vegas. The popular 27-year-old fighter, who's the son of a famous boxer by the same name, tested positive for marijuana in September after his first professional loss. Chavez (46-1-1) was suspended for nine months from the date of the fight and fined $900,000, which amounts to 30% of his $3-million purse for the bout against Sergio Martinez . Chavez, who spoke by phone from Mexico, said through an interpreter that he was sorry for his actions and had taken the drug to curb his stress eight or nine days before the much-anticipated fight.

Apparently, no track and field athletes will be suspended from competing in the Olympic Games, even though between 6 and 10 failed drugs tests at the Olympic trials last month in Indianapolis. A spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, Mike Moran, said Friday that all of the athletes involved tested positive for stimulants contained in over-the-counter cold medications or herbal teas and that hearings conducted so far have determined that the use was either pre-declared or inadvertent.

Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who was named in a Miami New Times report as receiving performance-enhancing drugs from an anti-aging clinic, says tests for PEDs he was given by Major League Baseball have come back negative. “Like I said before, I've never taken performance-enhancing drugs and I never will,” Gonzalez said Friday. “Two days after the story broke, I was tested for blood and urine, and both came out negative, like I expected. Throughout my entire career, it's been like that.

Athletes and officials in the world of disabled sports have long campaigned for more respect and recognition. They point out that disabled athletes work as hard, devote as many hours to training and are in most ways the equal of their able-bodied counterparts. Events at this summer's Paralympic Games at Barcelona confirmed what officials have been saying. For the first time, disabled athletes tested positive for banned drugs at their most prestigious competition.

Track and field's ruling body is ready to cut its penalty for drug use in half because of pressure from athletes and regional federations. A ruling on the proposal, supported by the European federation, will probably be made during a two-day meeting of the IAAF congress, starting Wednesday in Athens, Greece, where the World Track Championships begin Friday.

Although soccer has not been stung by doping controversies the way track and field and weightlifting have, the sport has modeled its drug-testing policy after the International Olympic Committee, one of the most strident anti-drug groups. Since 1986, FIFA, soccer's governing body, has adopted IOC guidelines except in the area of sanctioning. "In soccer, it's really rare to have drug problems," said Anthony Daley, chief medical officer for World Cup '94.

Barry McCaffrey, who announced Monday that he intends to step down Jan. 6 as the U.S. government's so-called drug czar, has used the post to press for curbs on the use of drugs in sports--particularly Olympic sports.

America's small businesses may be becoming the employer of last resort for the nation's drug users. The evidence so far is mostly anecdotal, but it appears to be growing every day, Labor Department and congressional officials say. The reason is simple: Larger firms are much more likely to screen job applicants routinely for drug use. By contrast, smaller companies don't have the money--or the time--to put anti-drug programs into effect.

Steroid and other performance-enhancing drug tests given to Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao were declared negative Friday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Marquez, 39, became noticeably more muscular before avenging two close losses by decisions and a draw by knocking out Pacquiao in the sixth round of their Saturday welterweight fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In a Monday telephone conversation with The Times, Marquez expressed full confidence that his drug tests would be negative.

LAS VEGAS - The erratic state of drug testing in boxing is perhaps best revealed in the absence of scrutiny faced by Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez before their Saturday fight. Neither boxer has submitted a blood or urine sample. "I would like uniform testing, but there's no plan," said veteran fight promoter Gary Shaw, who is not involved in the Pacquiao-Marquez bout. "It has to start with the boxing commissions, and they have to get serious about it. Barry Bonds, he was hitting baseballs for home runs.

HONOLULU - The first thing you notice about 1st Circuit Judge Steven Alm is how excited he is about what he's doing. The buzz-cut, fast-talking judge was waiting for me in the lobby of the courthouse early on a recent morning and led me up to his third-floor chambers to explain Hawaii's promising approach to repeat offenders with drug and alcohol problems. I'd heard about Alm's program, Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE), from two Southern California drug policy professors - Mark Kleiman at UCLA and Angela Hawken at Pepperdine - who urged me to go have a look at Alm's operation.

Elaine Bogart had no second thoughts about subjecting her children to drug tests. When the Santa Clarita mother learned of a program through her school district that allows parents to track the results of random tests of their children's urine, she enrolled her two teenagers right away. "It was my decision," she said. "They do have some rights, but I'm responsible for them. I need to make sure they're safe. " The William S. Hart Union High School District program is believed to be the only one of its kind in the country, according to program administrators.

Danny Garcia's defense of his World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Council junior-welterweight belts Saturday was thrown into jeopardy Friday after his opponent, former champion Erik Morales, tested positive for a banned substance. The 36-year-old Morales (52-8, 36 KOs) submitted a drug test Oct. 3 that was found to be positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, which has weight-loss effects. As of Friday afternoon, the bout, headlining the debut fight card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn is still on, promoter Richard Schaefer said.

A morning of goodwill turned into an afternoon of continued discord between the NHL and the players' union Friday, leaving them no closer to ending the labor dispute that led the league to lock players out on Sept. 15 and cancel the exhibition schedule. NHL Players' Assn. executive Mathieu Schneider said the sides had made "some headway" during their first session on issues such as player safety, scheduling, and tougher drug testing. However, their considerable differences became apparent following their second session.

There's a star on the stage of the Great Western Forum. Immaculately dressed as always, 6-foot-1, tanned, not a hair out of place, he is a veteran of such very public appearances. In seminar after seminar, convention after convention, he has captivated thousands of people around the world with his charisma, sincerity and enthusiasm. But this appearance, on Feb. 19, 2000, is something special for Mark Reynolds Hughes.

Federal air safety regulators have proposed fining United Airlines $584,375 for allegedly failing to properly perform drug tests on workers in safety-sensitive areas. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday accused the airline of transferring 13 employees to safety-sensitive positions before it received the results of their drug and alcohol tests. The violations took place throughout the airline and included workers on the flight crew, maintenance and service teams, FAA spokesman Paul Turk said.

Jockey Eswan Flores was pulled from his mounts at Del Mar more than a week ago after a random drug test came back positive for cocaine, Keith Brackpool, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, confirmed on Tuesday in a statement. Flores is challenging the validity of the test, according to Doug Christensen, his manager. “He absolutely has not taken cocaine,” Christensen said. “I believe the test was corrupted.” Christensen said Flores took a second test two days later that came back negative for cocaine.

Don't suggest that Derek Jeter could be using performance-enhancing drugs. He apparently finds that inference so silly that he'll question whether the accuser is doping. Just ask Skip Bayless. Bayless of ESPN's "First Take" said Wednesday morning that Jeter's performance so far this season may be a bit too good, hint hint, wink wink.  "I am shocked by what I'm seeing from Derek Jeter right now," Bayless said. "They all said he was washed up. All of a sudden, this man has turned 38 years of age in June and already he has more hits than he had last year.