Another Twist in the StarCaps Case?

by Christopher Gates on Oct 31, 2008 7:12 PM CDT in Minnesota Vikings

So in the midst of my net surfing here this evening, I came across this little story from NOLA.com. It's about the Saints players that are currently caught up in the current StarCaps/Bumetanide row. The interesting part comes from this little bit at the bottom of the article.

McAllister said he had been taking the StarCaps pills for at least four years, and that he had sent them in for testing when he began taking them.

To borrow a line from Sheila Broflovski. . .what What WHAT!?

So let me get this straight. Deuce McAllister, who strikes me as a fairly intelligent, reasonable guy, has been taking these pills for four years. When he started taking these pills four years ago, he sent them in to the league to be tested. Obviously, the fact that he's been taking them all this time means that the pills had been approved by the league, would it not? Again, I think Deuce is a fairly intelligent guy, and if the league had said not to take these things, he wouldn't have been taking them. And, obviously, nothing came down from the league telling the players NOT to take them.

Deuce McAllister has been taking these pills for four years. . .and this is the first time he's tested positive for a banned substance?

Really?

Seriously?

Now, I'm no Jack McCoy or anything, but I fail to see how the league could suspend players for taking a supplement that they had approved of. The makers of these things added Bumetanide to them recently, in violation of federal law (which explains why they've closed up shop). They would have had to slip it in there after the fact. . .Bumetanide has been banned since 1989, and the pills surely wouldn't have been approved had the league labs found it in there from the start.

So, if all of these players were taking StarCaps, they were taking a supplement that, from all appearances, had been approved by the National Football League.

The NFL can't really suspend a bunch of guys for taking a supplement that they had approved of and had been illegally altered without anybody's knowledge. . .can they?

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They didn’t suspend a guy from the NFL for trafficing drugs into and out of Canada. Honestly, I don’t think they’ll suspend the Williams’, but there’s a large part of me that wouldn’t be surprised if they did.

by Frost on Oct 31, 2008 9:27 PM CDT reply actions

Yes, they could

The NFL can do whatever they want. To echo Frost above, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

If they do, however, there is something totally wrong with this world. Wait, I already knew that…

Arlen Spector better get his act together. There could be a good case in the future, and I’d hate for him to miss another opportunity to waste tax dollars.

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by Andersklasen on Oct 31, 2008 9:42 PM CDT reply actions

If...

all the players on the block tie themselves to Dueces case.. they should all get off free.
I cant see the league suspending him if they did approve the pills once.

by MT_always on Nov 1, 2008 1:31 AM CDT reply actions

Things are beggining to look up

I hope the Commish treats us with fairness for once, i can just see the williams’ as the only ones suspended from this mess :(

If there can be any goodness to come from this mess it is to highlight the crazyness that is the supplements industry.

FDA regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering “conventional” foods and drug products (prescription and Over-the-Counter). Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), the dietary supplement manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement is safe before it is marketed. FDA is responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary supplement product after it reaches the market. Generally, manufacturers do not need to register their products with FDA nor get FDA approval before producing or selling dietary supplements.* Manufacturers must make sure that product label information is truthful and not misleading.

FDA’s post-marketing responsibilities include monitoring safety, e.g. voluntary dietary supplement adverse event reporting, and product information, such as labeling, claims, package inserts, and accompanying literature. The Federal Trade Commission regulates dietary supplement advertising.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html

How is it that supplements are so poorly regulated. all other food (by food i mean items ment to be ingested or consumed) items are tested by the FDA and must be approved before being sold to the public. this is the true travisty, because there are kids out their taking these supplements, how meny need to loose 1 lb to make weight for high school wrestling match?

Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?

by the Real Thor on Nov 1, 2008 8:16 AM CDT reply actions

Actually

The FDA doesn’t test any drug of food product before it goes on the market. The drug companies themselves perform the testing and the FDA reviews the data they submit to the FDA and either approve or reject the drug. Food is a little different. The FDA only regulates food supplements, i.e. all those unpronounceable chemicals on ingredient lists of processed foods. Actual food is regulated by the USDA, but only loosely, i.e. their are guidlines the farmers and ranchers need to follow, but given all the meat and veggie recalls we seem to have some producers are better at conforming to the rules than others.

The reasoning for not regulating supplements like drugs is that they are supposed to be “natural” products and are not supposed to treat diseases. If you would like to regulate supplements more strictly call your congressmen and have the law changed.

by vikedawg on Nov 1, 2008 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions