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On Tuesday, Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco posted on his Twitter page a photograph of a crumpled piece of paper that provided a peek into the N.F.L.’s drug testing program.
The note, which appeared to be taped to his locker, said that Ochocinco had been randomly selected for a urine test and that he should “report to the drug testing area ASAP to meet the collector and discuss the testing process.”
If Ochocinco was “not prepared to provide an adequate specimen,” he should “still check-in with the collector,” the note said.
The note, antidoping experts said, exposed a glaring hole in the N.F.L.’s drug testing program, which has often been credited as one of the strongest in professional sports.
The experts said such notes gave players notice of tests, removing the element of surprise, an essential part of drug testing. Players can avoid testing positive, the experts said, because they have time to dilute their urine, use a masking agent or attach a device to produce someone else’s urine.
“I cannot believe at this day and time, and after all the attention that drug testing has received, that they are doing this,” said Dr. Gary Wadler, an official of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the testing of Olympic athletes. “I just don’t believe it — it jeopardizes everything drug testing stands for.”
The note, which appeared to be taped to his locker, said that Ochocinco had been randomly selected for a urine test and that he should “report to the drug testing area ASAP to meet the collector and discuss the testing process.”
If Ochocinco was “not prepared to provide an adequate specimen,” he should “still check-in with the collector,” the note said.
The note, antidoping experts said, exposed a glaring hole in the N.F.L.’s drug testing program, which has often been credited as one of the strongest in professional sports.
The experts said such notes gave players notice of tests, removing the element of surprise, an essential part of drug testing. Players can avoid testing positive, the experts said, because they have time to dilute their urine, use a masking agent or attach a device to produce someone else’s urine.
“I cannot believe at this day and time, and after all the attention that drug testing has received, that they are doing this,” said Dr. Gary Wadler, an official of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the testing of Olympic athletes. “I just don’t believe it — it jeopardizes everything drug testing stands for.”
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