Runnin on Fumes 5/20/09

Cause I got high part 2
Earlier in the year TITB covered the story of Michael Phelps alleged bong hits at a party in SC. The latest in sports drug use, ok not the latest and certainly not the most famous is the recent suspension of NASCAR driver and team owner Jeremy Mayfield. Mayfield failed a NASCAR random drug test (implemented only this year) for an undisclosed substance and was suspended indefinitely from the sport. He is not only prohibited from driving, but from coming to the tracks and from having his name on the ownership records of his team. OUCH. Talk about zero tolerance... Baseball should learn a lesson from this one. Not that I agree with the sentence, but at least it has (no pun intended) balls.
The thing that bugs me and lots of fans is that the substance is "undisclosed" In an era of transparency due to corporate scandal and rampant performance enhancing drug use by professional athletes, you would think that NASCAR would be more open about the substance he tested positive for. Think about it, is he Brett Favre, hooked on painkillers? Maybe he's Manny and using some version of steroids (are those even banned in NASCAR?) Or maybe he is like Aaron Fike who admitted to ESPN that he used heroin on race days.
Does anyone else see the problem here? I can easily see how painkillers can be an accidental addiction and forgive that pretty quickly. A few bong hits here or there maybe...but ex, heroin, LSD others...where do you draw the line of what is socially and morally forgivable? If I knew Jeremy tested positive for codeine....lets just say we should get him the help he needs. Does he deserve the perception that is created by having tested positive for an "undisclosed" substance? I don't think so. Is all drug and alcohol abuse problematic? Of course it is....Are some forms more forgivable than others? Perhaps....
Its too bad that Jeremy has had to hire a lawyer to try and clear his name. He claims that the test was wrong. Maybe it was maybe it wasn't...but doesn't the world deserve to know what they are passing judgment on, before they do so?
Good luck Jeremy.