Going back at least as far as the 1988 Summer Olympics and Ben Johnson, when an athlete tests positive for steroids and blames the test result on a spiked sports drink, or as members of the Mexican soccer team did just a couple of weeks ago, blame tainted meat, the general reaction of a skeptical public has been, yeah, right, guys. Either you meant to take what you took or were too careless to check what you were taking against your sport's list of approved supplements.
Rams linebacker David Vobora knows all about this. He tested positive for steroids in 2009 and was suspended for four games, all the while insisting he had followed NFL procedure to the letter. Public reaction? Yeah, right, kid, we get you don't want to admit to screwing up, just don't do it again. Vobora's lawsuit against the producer of the supplement that caused his positive test has been virtually ignored and more than likely viewed publicly as a quixotic face-saving enterprise.
Until today, when a judge awarded Vobora $5.4 million in damages from the ironically-named Anti-Steroid Program, LLC, the Florida company that made the Ultimate Sports Spray that caused Vobora to fail his league drug test. The company did not disclose that the spray contained methyltestosterone, A STEROID. Gee, thanks, ANTI-Steroid Program. Vobora was awarded $2 million for damage to his reputation, and $3.4 million representing lost earnings and earnings opportunities.
Most importantly, he clears his good name from a blemish that was always going to be there otherwise. Maybe his victory in court will help all of sports as a significant step toward cleaning up the supplement industry, though that is certainly a long row to hoe. However, an ESPN.com poll is running 64%-36 to start giving athletes more of a benefit of the doubt in these situations.
A very relevant victory for Mr. Irrelevant.
Photo: Sky Sports
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