Hasslett admits to using roids as a player - The Orange Mane

shakenbake · 03-24-2005, 07:13 AM

Calls out steelers of the 70's

New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett admitted to taking steroids for a short time as an NFL player before they were banned, and estimated that half of the league's players in the 1980s were users, according to published reports.

Haslett, a Pro Bowl linebacker during his nine-year NFL career, also told some reporters at the league's meetings in Hawaii that he believes steroids use in the NFL began with the Steelers in the 1970s.

"If you didn't [take steroids], you weren't as strong as everybody else, you weren't as fast as everybody else," Haslett said in reports in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Los Angeles Times. "That's the only reason to do it. Everybody's looking for a competitive edge."

The NFL began testing for banned substances in 1987, although it did not begin suspending players for steroid use until 1989. The league introduced random testing in 1990 and the policy was written into the collective bargaining agreement in 1993. Currently, a player receives a four-game suspension for his first positive test, a six-game suspension for a second and a one-season ban for a third. No one has tested positive more than once, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Haslett, who played at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was drafted by Buffalo in the second round in 1979, said he took steroids for six weeks during one offseason early in his career.

"I didn't think it was very good for you. I was hyper all the time. Got bloated, a fat face," he said in the published reports.

Haslett, who said that "all the offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers" were steroids users during his playing career, said the Steelers of the 1970s were big users. The Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years, beginning in 1974-75.

"It started, really, in Pittsburgh," Haslett said in the Post-Gazette. "They got an advantage on a lot of football teams. They were so much stronger [in the] '70s, late '70s, early '80s ... They're the ones who kind of started it."

Team chairman Dan Rooney refuted Haslett's accusation.

"This is totally, totally false when he says it started with the Steelers in the '70s," Rooney told the newspaper. "Chuck Noll was totally against it. He looked into it, examined it, talked to people. Haslett, maybe it affected his mind.

"Noll told the players, 'Hey, this stuff doesn't do you any good. If you just do the work, lift, things like that, you'll be all right.' "

Haslett, who estimated his playing weight at 252, described his experience with steroids to reporters.

"I didn't put weight on, I just got strong," he said. "If you lift on Monday, usually you lift Wednesday, Friday. [On steroids], you can lift like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You never got tired.

"Your muscles recovered from it. When you lift, your muscle tears down and the blood comes in and repairs it. It takes bout 28 to 40 hours for the blood to repair the muscle. When you take steroids and it rips the muscle, the blood immediately flows in there, and it repairs itself right away. That's why you never feel tired, you never feel sore.

"You can lift every day, you can recover right away. My bench went from 440 to 480 in about six weeks."

Haslett, coach of the Saints since 2000, said the league got a handle on the steroids problem long ago.

"I'm comfortable our steroid policy is very effective," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the LA Times. "And no, I can't say I'm comfortable with things not slipping through the cracks, because THG [human growth hormone] slipped through everyone's cracks because it was not a known substance and there was no test for it. And now that there's a test for it, we're testing.

NaptownChief · 03-24-2005, 07:19 AM

We have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books...

Tredici · 03-24-2005, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaptownChief

We have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books...

First you have to find Haslett's name in the record books...

Bronco_Beerslug · 03-24-2005, 07:29 AM

I knew Bradshaw was a cheater.

Tredici · 03-24-2005, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bronco_Beerslug

I knew Bradshaw was a cheater.

You mean 'Lil Abner found more than just tabaccy juice??!

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakenbake

"I didn't put weight on, I just got strong," he said. "If you lift on Monday, usually you lift Wednesday, Friday. [On steroids], you can lift like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You never got tired.

"Your muscles recovered from it. When you lift, your muscle tears down and the blood comes in and repairs it. It takes bout 28 to 40 hours for the blood to repair the muscle. When you take steroids and it rips the muscle, the blood immediately flows in there, and it repairs itself right away. That's why you never feel tired, you never feel sore.

"You can lift every day, you can recover right away. My bench went from 440 to 480 in about six weeks."

Somebody e-mail this passage to that numbskull Tony LaRussa.

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 10:40 AM

So that's why Mike Webster had more acne than three Pittsburgh area high schools combined.

DBroncos4life · 03-24-2005, 10:42 AM

It maybe easier to put an * next to the players that didnt' cheat.

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBroncos4life

It maybe easier to put an * next to the players that didnt' cheat.

Creating that perception is certainly easier on the cheaters. Luckily for them, so many people are stupid.

Rascal · 03-24-2005, 10:45 AM

Damn he must have really sucked then when he wasn't on roids.

DBroncos4life · 03-24-2005, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Creating that perception is certainly easier on the cheaters. Luckily for them, so many people are stupid.

I believe Hasslett when he says thats the only way you could make it in the NFL during that period. I bet it was very easy to get back then as well. No one really knew the affect that it would have on them as well.

TheDave · 03-24-2005, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Creating that perception is certainly easier on the cheaters. Luckily for them, so many people are stupid.

You still believe in Santa Clause don't you...

bendog · 03-24-2005, 12:15 PM

What Haslett said is pretty similar to what Zim said. He said the testing policy allowed him to play, because he didn't want to take 'roids, and the only way to play if DE's are roiding was to roid.

Homo Thug · 03-24-2005, 12:19 PM

So thats why that motha****a has no hair on his head?

missingnumber7 · 03-24-2005, 03:46 PM

Haslett was a linebacker

And we talk about Gold being undersized.

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDave

You still believe in Santa Clause don't you...

I stopped believing in Santa Claus shortly after I learned how to spell his name.

You still want to believe that you and your little pals are smarter than everybody else, which is a typical human reaction, however erroneous.

Greg Anderson and Victor Conte will be laughing about how smart they were from behind bars pretty soon.

Kaylore · 03-24-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakenbake

Haslett, who said that "all the offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers" were steroids users during his playing career, said the Steelers of the 1970s were big users. The Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years, beginning in 1974-75.

"It started, really, in Pittsburgh," Haslett said in the Post-Gazette. "They got an advantage on a lot of football teams. They were so much stronger [in the] '70s, late '70s, early '80s ... They're the ones who kind of started it."

He knows this how? Because they were a better team and were bigger and stronger? He never played on that team.

TheDave · 03-24-2005, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

I stopped believing in Santa Claus shortly after I learned how to spell his name.

You still want to believe that you and your little pals are smarter than everybody else, which is a typical human reaction, however erroneous.

Greg Anderson and Victor Conte will be laughing about how smart they were from behind bars pretty soon.

I'm not sure about all that, but it sure beats living in a fantasy world.

Bronco_Beerslug · 03-24-2005, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missingnumber7

Haslett was a linebacker

And we talk about Gold being undersized.

Weighed 250, benched 480.

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDave

I'm not sure about all that, but it sure beats living in a fantasy world.

Check your address again. Your self delusion is manufactured by your own ego.

Enjoy!

Garcia Bronco · 03-24-2005, 05:17 PM

If everybody does it and there is no rule against it...is it cheating?

Were's the ****ing outrage about stickum?

And who said they can't take away that Championship?

DBroncos4life · 03-24-2005, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

If everybody does it and there is no rule against it...is it cheating?

Were's the ****ing outrage about stickum?

And who said they can't take away that Championship?

It depends on how you look at it. They can't make a rule one year and have it go back and affect evey year before that. Grandfathered in if you will. At some point you are just going to have to say people did it, it wasn't illegal, and they really had no clue of the side affects. You can sit here and spin your wheels all day on who was using. Im guessing when "roids" first came out there were a high number of people using in all sports. Most of us haven't been in a sitiuation where we were close to making it but we needed help to get over the top. Now Im sure they talked to others and they said yeah man I get help from the juice. The more people they talk to the more they find uses it. Stopping to think well health vs person goals isnt a option when put into something like that. Wrong or right thats how some sports are and were played.

Breck Bronc · 03-24-2005, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Were's the ****ing outrage about stickum?

I think we found the reason all these ex-Steelers are dropping dead all over the place. Stickum! Lester Hayes better watch out.

-Slap- · 03-24-2005, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breck Bronc

I think we found the reason all these ex-Steelers are dropping dead all over the place. Stickum! Lester Hayes better watch out.

Lester's gonna go out hard, but it won't be because of stickum.

03-24-2005, 07:13 AM	#1
shakenbake Texas Homer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Shanghai, China Posts: 3,136	Hasslett admits to using roids as a player Calls out steelers of the 70's New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett admitted to taking steroids for a short time as an NFL player before they were banned, and estimated that half of the league's players in the 1980s were users, according to published reports. Haslett, a Pro Bowl linebacker during his nine-year NFL career, also told some reporters at the league's meetings in Hawaii that he believes steroids use in the NFL began with the Steelers in the 1970s. "If you didn't [take steroids], you weren't as strong as everybody else, you weren't as fast as everybody else," Haslett said in reports in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Los Angeles Times. "That's the only reason to do it. Everybody's looking for a competitive edge." The NFL began testing for banned substances in 1987, although it did not begin suspending players for steroid use until 1989. The league introduced random testing in 1990 and the policy was written into the collective bargaining agreement in 1993. Currently, a player receives a four-game suspension for his first positive test, a six-game suspension for a second and a one-season ban for a third. No one has tested positive more than once, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. Haslett, who played at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was drafted by Buffalo in the second round in 1979, said he took steroids for six weeks during one offseason early in his career. "I didn't think it was very good for you. I was hyper all the time. Got bloated, a fat face," he said in the published reports. Haslett, who said that "all the offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers" were steroids users during his playing career, said the Steelers of the 1970s were big users. The Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years, beginning in 1974-75. "It started, really, in Pittsburgh," Haslett said in the Post-Gazette. "They got an advantage on a lot of football teams. They were so much stronger [in the] '70s, late '70s, early '80s ... They're the ones who kind of started it." Team chairman Dan Rooney refuted Haslett's accusation. "This is totally, totally false when he says it started with the Steelers in the '70s," Rooney told the newspaper. "Chuck Noll was totally against it. He looked into it, examined it, talked to people. Haslett, maybe it affected his mind. "Noll told the players, 'Hey, this stuff doesn't do you any good. If you just do the work, lift, things like that, you'll be all right.' " Haslett, who estimated his playing weight at 252, described his experience with steroids to reporters. "I didn't put weight on, I just got strong," he said. "If you lift on Monday, usually you lift Wednesday, Friday. [On steroids], you can lift like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You never got tired. "Your muscles recovered from it. When you lift, your muscle tears down and the blood comes in and repairs it. It takes bout 28 to 40 hours for the blood to repair the muscle. When you take steroids and it rips the muscle, the blood immediately flows in there, and it repairs itself right away. That's why you never feel tired, you never feel sore. "You can lift every day, you can recover right away. My bench went from 440 to 480 in about six weeks." Haslett, coach of the Saints since 2000, said the league got a handle on the steroids problem long ago. "I'm comfortable our steroid policy is very effective," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the LA Times. "And no, I can't say I'm comfortable with things not slipping through the cracks, because THG [human growth hormone] slipped through everyone's cracks because it was not a known substance and there was no test for it. And now that there's a test for it, we're testing.

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03-24-2005, 07:19 AM	#2
NaptownChief Donkeys Nightmare Football Pimp Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 7,490	We have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books, we have to put an asterisk in the record books...

03-24-2005, 07:29 AM	#4
Bronco_Beerslug Angling in the Deep Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Texas Riviera, Southern Mountains Posts: 24,281	I knew Bradshaw was a cheater.

03-24-2005, 10:40 AM	#7
-Slap- Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 31,895	So that's why Mike Webster had more acne than three Pittsburgh area high schools combined.

03-24-2005, 10:42 AM	#8
DBroncos4life Hey pic Mod!?!?! FU Why yes, that is Bacon Bacon. Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The wrong side of right. Posts: 26,522	It maybe easier to put an * next to the players that didnt' cheat.

03-24-2005, 10:45 AM	#10
Rascal RIP Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 16,581 Adopt-a-Bronco: Turf	Damn he must have really sucked then when he wasn't on roids.

03-24-2005, 12:15 PM	#13
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	What Haslett said is pretty similar to what Zim said. He said the testing policy allowed him to play, because he didn't want to take 'roids, and the only way to play if DE's are roiding was to roid.

03-24-2005, 12:19 PM	#14
Homo Thug Thats Me In Tha Avy Lets Go Knicks n Broncs! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gotta 100 Guns, a 100 Clips. I'm from New Yawwwwk! Posts: 8	So thats why that motha****a has no hair on his head?

03-24-2005, 03:46 PM	#15
missingnumber7 Vote Joe Mays to Pro Bowl Joe 4 Pro Bowl ST's Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bismarck Posts: 4,760 Adopt-a-Bronco: Joe Mays	Haslett was a linebacker And we talk about Gold being undersized.

03-24-2005, 05:17 PM	#21
Garcia Bronco Hokie since 1993 Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 45,987 Adopt-a-Bronco: Tom Jackson	If everybody does it and there is no rule against it...is it cheating? Were's the ****ing outrage about stickum? And who said they can't take away that Championship?