Consequences of steroid scandal far-reaching
By Josh Kolm
Sports
Editor
July 13, 2010
 The scandal began earlier this year when University of Waterloo receiver Nathan Zettler was found with performance-enhancing substances and charged with possession and trafficking. In response to this, the university had the entire team submit to drug testing.
On June 14, the results were made public at a press conference. While the failure of nine players came as a mild surprise, the decision to suspend the entire football team—including players who tested clean—was lambasted right away for being harsh and unfair.
Immediately after the announcement was made, Warrior football players began a public relations campaign to stir up support. Expressing frustration regarding the lack of logic behind the decision, team captains Patrick McGarry, Dustin Zender and quarterback Luke Balch began serving as spokesmen for their teammates. On June 17, four days after the suspension, the three players called a press conference of their own, with the rest of the Warriors standing at the back of the room in yellow “Believe” T-shirts. They set a deadline for noon the next day for the university to reverse their decision, or the remaining players would begin seeking playing opportunities at other schools.
Normally, CIS rules state that athletes seeking a transfer to another Canadian university must sacrifice one of their five years of athletic eligibility. The organization made a ruling, however, that any players on a team that has been suspended or disbanded may transfer without incurring the penalty. This would seemingly give the players a strategic advantage, but the deadline came and went with no change made in the suspension.
While support for the Warriors has been raised across the country, the players have been less successful in changing the university’s mind. Despite facing wide-spread criticism from players, former staff, alumni and administration in the CIS and CFL, the Waterloo administration is standing by their decision. They have decided to give no further media interviews regarding the football program, but a spokesperson reiterated the stance that they “made a difficult but principled decision” and that they are “committed to their student athletes” and “[returning] to full competitive play in the 2011 season”. The athletic department will continue to operate football camps and community events. They also stated the team will still operate regular scrimmage games, but would not comment on how that would work with the coaching staff being placed on paid leave following the suspension.
Since the scandal came to light, Lancer Football Head Coach Mike Morencie has made his feelings about the testing policy in the CIS known. Citing loopholes and inconsistent testing procedures, he has said there needs to be a crackdown in order to maintain integrity.
He has, however, joined the vocal majority regarding the decision. “The main problem with trying to decide if the decision was a reasonable one is that we do not have all the facts like they do. From my perspective it seems excessive. What about the 55 players who were clean following the testing? They do not deserve to be painted with the same brush as those that tested positive.”
Athletes at Guelph and McMaster were also tested for fear that a 'ring' had formed between the nearby schools. Athletes at Wilfrid Laurier were also set to be tested, but those had to postponed due to a scheduling mix-up.
The situation has caused waves in Windsor. The 2010 Alumni Weekend was supposed to feature the Lancers playing their homecoming game against the Warriors, but a lack of a team to play has led the game to be cancelled. Many have also started wondering what the results would be hold if similarly wide-spread testing were to be held in Windsor.
“I am not foolish enough to think that all of the 85 players we have are clean but our staff and supporters would be really upset and feel disillusioned about that kind of behaviour,” Morencie said. “Our alumni would be the same I would surmise. As a coach you are always trying to talk with your players about this exact situation but some players are hardwired to cut corners. They do it academically, socially and athletically. My job is to identify those players and try to affect some change."
In an interview given shortly after the news broke, CIS Chief Executive Office Marg McGregor expressed a similar sentiment regarding how “naïve” it would be to assume Waterloo was the only place drug use was occurring.
The common reason cited for the rarity of testing is funding. Blood and urine drug tests are conducted by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, a body dependant on government funding. That funding needs to be spread not only across university athletics, but all leagues based in Canada, including professional leagues. Furthermore, the majority of their funding tends to go to amateur athletes headed towards international competition, such as the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games. With blood testing—the more thorough form that can detect HGH—running between $500 and $600 a test, the CCES was able to conduct just under 3,000 tests this past year, 202 of which were done on CIS athletes.
The CIS says there are 10,000 athletes playing intrauniversity sports, which leaves a testing rate of approximately 2 per cent.
The players are making good on their promise to leave. Carl Zender, ex-coach and highly vocal supporter of his former players, has estimated at least half the eligible players are pursuing opportunities at other schools, with six commitments already announced.
“Four players from Waterloo have approached us about the possibility of a transfer.,” Morencie has said, not wanting to name names until their transfers are made official. The coach added, in regards to the unique recruitment situation, “We have not outwardly recruited players. I would have a problem with that.”
For players like Balch who are in their fifth year, transferring might not be so easy, as it would mean throwing away much of their academic progress.
Tension between athletes and staff aside, with many players seeking transfers or reaching the end of their five years of academic eligibility, it is possible there may not be a team left to play come 2011. At the very least, they will have to go through a significant rebuilding process, which coincides in the most unfortunate way with a $1.2 million renovation and expansion project on Warrior Field, which has continued over the summer.
Zender resigned as receivers coach to represent the players after he was told by Waterloo staff to not talk to the press. The refusal of the school's provost to change the suspension has led Zender to claim Waterloo killed their football program. Despite the university’s claim that they are committed to football, many others, including Hamilton Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell and Primetime Sports host Bob McCown have also publicly cast doubt as to the seriousness of that claim, with McCown going into conspiracy mode by claiming "cover-up", and further stating his belief the dean, provost and athletic director at Waterloo should all be fired.
Whether any claims of pre-meditated wrong-doing have any basis, the situation has caused an air of disillusionment at a school that has been known to favour academics over athletics.
“Waterloo is an outstanding school and I am sure their Waterloo degree is important to them,” Morencie says of the athletes, “but every player who talks to us says they feel a sense of abandonment from the school.”
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