Every breath you take, the NFL will be watching you

By Randy  |   Thursday, December 07, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

New Orleans Saints
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Bravo to you, NFL! Yes, you've really made a mess of things this time.

This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test. Beware all NFL asthmatics. The NFL Police are conducting a sting operation to crack down on players using low dosages of steroids in order to sustain their livelihoods. Every breath you take, they'll be watching you.

Forgive New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Hollis Thomas. You see, he possesses this foolish notion that he has an unalienable, God-given right to breathe. Thomas suffers from severe asthma. Any $6.99 paperback on prescription medication will tell you that severe asthma sufferers often may require medications containing steroids in order to maintain a normal life.

The steroids contained in the inhaler medications act as an anti-inflammatory that opens up the bronchial tubes, relaxing the airways that restrict breathing during an asthma attack.

The NFL ruling class, in its infinite wisdom, suspended Thomas on Tuesday. The suspension took effect immediately. The timing seems suspect and smells a little fishy, as it comes just days before the Saints' pivotal matchup with "America's team," the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. The outcome could go a long way in determining who gets a first-round playoff bye.

With several of New Orleans' big guns ailing- Marques Colston, Joe Horn, Will Smith - the suspension of Thomas further complicates the Saints' uphill task this weekend in Dallas.

Veteran Saints observers agree Thomas, acquired in a draft-day trade from Philadelphia - has emerged as the team's best run-stopper in 2006. With 49 tackles to go along with 3 ½ sacks, Thomas is a daunting presence for opponents' inside rushing attacks.. In Sunday's 34-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Smith constantly altered Alex Smith's timing with his push up the middle.

Defensive end Charles Grant credited Thomas for his own success against the 49ers.

"Hollis Thomas does a great job of pushing that ball back to me," said Grant.

As a result, Grant was able to harass Smith all afternoon.

National sports commentators have been crying foul since Thomas' suspension on Tuesday. "Is there any room for asthmatics in the NFL?," they asked rhetorically. Evidently not.

There is something inherently wrong in the spirit of a rule that suspends a player for violating a policy for career and life-sustaining purposes as opposed to performance-enhancing reasons.

At 6-foot, 330 pounds, Thomas told the Times-Picayune, "I was looking to get smaller so (taking muscle-building steroids would totally defeat the purpose."

The NFL looks more heartless than Ebenezer Scrooge following this embarrassing public relations blunder.

"Does the punishment fit the crime?" asked Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards on Fox Sports Radio on Wednesday morning.

He continued, "If it is unfair, hopefully the NFL will retest him (Thomas) and rectify the situation."

We can only hope, for the sake of fairness and human decency, that this will occur immediately.

In a letter of appeal to the NFL, Saints team physician John Amoss implored the league to reconsider its decision. Wrote Amoss: "this letter is to document that Hollis Thomas requires high-dose inhaled steroids...to control asthma." Amoss went on to list the medications and explained that they were being used as an ongoing treatment of the player's condition.

Apparently, the argument fell on deaf ears.

Thomas' agent, Rick Slavin, made no attempt to hide his disgust.

Slavin told The Times-Picayune Tuesday, "He's having a career year, and the NFL is going to do this for asthma medication? It makes no sense."

No argument here, Rick. As former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill said of a former Louisiana Congressman, "He's often wrong but never in doubt." The same statement appears to apply to the stuffed shirts in the NFL's luxurious offices.

What is the solution? The NFL and the players' union need to agree on an arbitration system. Possibly, a panel of physicians that could issue rulings in sensitive cases such as these. The panel would be qualified to determine the actual intent of the player in question. Is he using the drug for valid, career-sustaining purposes, or performance-enhancing reasons? Then, when a decision is made, rule accordingly.

Another potential solution would be for NFL teams to hire compliance officers to act as liaisons between team physicians, trainers and the league itself. This would keep the lines of communication open between the team and the league, possibly averting confusion and preventing the senseless suspensions of players dealing with serious medical conditions.

What's next? Do we spend a diabetic punt returner for insulin injections?

Again, we say Bravo to you, NFL!

What a grand message you have sent to young asthmatics who may aspire to play at the professional level one day. Suspending Thomas - a man who has established a foundation to help youth dealing with this terrible disease learn how to participate in rigorous team sports - makes you look even worse than the Grinch who stole Christmas.
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
EPRAIDER		06:50 AM
12/07/2006
Wow you dirty sonsabitches you better reconsider this suspension or prove there's more to it! Is the league office a branch of...
No.2
fr8ttrain		11:32 AM
12/07/2006
The NFL is regulating the game too much now! The game is losing a lot of its spirit. I say eat steroids like M&M's and dance in...
No.3
darkstar		01:30 PM
12/07/2006
i live in new orleans and the saints are my home team. i dont like the looks of this, i mean, we lose our two top recievers, and...
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