Chael Sonnen failed his pre-fight drug test at UFC 117. I'm by no means stunned, or even surprised. It's not that I thought Sonnen was a user, it's that I'm not surprised when any athlete gets busted for PED use. I've stated many times that I don't really care if a guy uses PEDs. I'm not overly concerned with this aspect of "cheating", or bending the rules. Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees faked being hit by a pitch during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays last week. That was called gamesmanship by many, cheating by others. Players in the NBA routinely flop to draw foul calls. Receivers in the NFL try to draw pass-interference calls against cornerbacks all the time. Coaches in all sports lobby for calls from the officials. The very nature of sports is to do anything you can to gain an advantage.
I don't think we can grade this on a sliding scale. It's okay to fake being hit by a pitch, or flop to draw a foul, but it's not okay for a guy to take a steroid that allows him to recover faster? Perhaps that's all Chael took this PED for? Maybe he had a sore ankle and wanted to make sure that it would recover in time for the biggest fight of his career?
I also think it's interesting how PEDs are viewed in the different sports. In the NFL, PED users are given suspensions. The length of the suspension is determined by the number of times you've been caught. However, there is no stain that follows a player throughout his career. Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans is suspended for the first 4 games of this season. However, Cushing isn't going to be dogged by this stain after he returns to playing. Proof of this is Shawne Merriman, who was suspended 4 games for PEDs in 2006. His suspension is barely a footnote on his bio now.
Contrast that with Major League Baseball, where some careers are irrevocably tainted after PED use. Even the suspicion or association with-known PED users can be enough to change your public image in MLB circles. The public downfalls of Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds are the most famous examples of MLB players who were stained with suspicion of PED use.
This isn't always the case, though. Andy Pettitte admitted PED use yet has largely walked free in the court of public opinion. He got out in front of the story and stopped it from ruining his life. The other four I mentioned all either refused to discuss PEDs or denied using them all together. Pettitte proved that the best way to handle PED allegations is to admit it and hope for forgiveness. America is a forgiving country, we're always ready for a comeback story. We also believe in second chances, even if those are actually third or fourth chances.
In a world where Michael Vick has been "redeemed," it's for the best that those accused of PED use admit it and accept the consequences. PED use is relatively benign to most sports fans, especially compared to other transgressions. PED use is as much a part of sports as flopping, faking being hit by a pitch, stealing signs, or pumping the referees or officials for preferential calls. It's all gamesmanship, and it's all done to gain an advantage. The only difference between Chael Sonnen and an unknown number of other athletes is that Chael got caught.
Suggestions and comments can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com
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