Looks like rampant steriod use was going on at the time, and that's cheating. Pure and simple.
From pft...
PANTHERS' 2003 NFC TITLE TAINTED?
A exclusive report in the Charlotte Observer regarding steroid use during the team's 2003 run to the Super Bowl raises an obvious question, around which the hometown paper carefully tiptoes.
Is the team's George Halas trophy tainted? Or were the Panthers players who were taking banned compounds merely keeping up with the Joneses in other NFL cities?
Regardless, there was a real problem in 2003. Three of the five starting offensive linemen, tackle Todd Steussie, center Jeff Mitchell, and guard Jeff Donnalley, were receiving various prohibited substances from Dr. James Shortt, based on court documents obtained by the Observer in connection with the prosecution that resulted in Shortt being sent to jail for one year and one day.
"Several of them were using disturbing, particularly alarmingly high amounts with high dosages for long durations -- some in combinations," said steroids expert Dr. Gary Wadler, who prepared a report for the proseuction in connection with the Shortt case. "This wasn't just a passing flirtation with these prohibited substances."
And the inescapable conclusion reached after reading the Observer article is that the use of prohibited substances was indeed rampant and most likely brazen.
So why weren't these guys caught? And in how many other cities have similar stories unfolded without detection?
The Panthers' example is further proof that some players will do whatever is necessary to obtain and retain an edge against the competition on the other side of the line, and within the same locker room. It's also evidence that, even though the NFL generally has escaped public scrutiny for its steroids problem, the league still has a long way to go with respect to testing and enforcement.
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From pft...
PANTHERS' 2003 NFC TITLE TAINTED?
A exclusive report in the Charlotte Observer regarding steroid use during the team's 2003 run to the Super Bowl raises an obvious question, around which the hometown paper carefully tiptoes.
Is the team's George Halas trophy tainted? Or were the Panthers players who were taking banned compounds merely keeping up with the Joneses in other NFL cities?
Regardless, there was a real problem in 2003. Three of the five starting offensive linemen, tackle Todd Steussie, center Jeff Mitchell, and guard Jeff Donnalley, were receiving various prohibited substances from Dr. James Shortt, based on court documents obtained by the Observer in connection with the prosecution that resulted in Shortt being sent to jail for one year and one day.
"Several of them were using disturbing, particularly alarmingly high amounts with high dosages for long durations -- some in combinations," said steroids expert Dr. Gary Wadler, who prepared a report for the proseuction in connection with the Shortt case. "This wasn't just a passing flirtation with these prohibited substances."
And the inescapable conclusion reached after reading the Observer article is that the use of prohibited substances was indeed rampant and most likely brazen.
So why weren't these guys caught? And in how many other cities have similar stories unfolded without detection?
The Panthers' example is further proof that some players will do whatever is necessary to obtain and retain an edge against the competition on the other side of the line, and within the same locker room. It's also evidence that, even though the NFL generally has escaped public scrutiny for its steroids problem, the league still has a long way to go with respect to testing and enforcement.
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