In attempting to safely monitor steroid use among a handful of athletes in the late 70s and early 80s, University of Utah officials apparently broke at least one NCAA rule - the one that banned steroid use by athletes.
The NCAA passed legislation banning the use of any "performance-enhancing" substances in 1973, according to NCAA director of sports sciences Frank Uryasz. Uryasz said the ban included steroids, though it didn't single them out specifically.But there was no testing program in effect until 1986, so the ban was largely an unenforceable one until then.
Ute Assistant Coach Tom Gadd, who was acquitted last week of charges related to steriods when he was an assistant at South Carolina in 1982-86, testified that the U. medically monitored steroid use by a handful of athletes when he was at Utah the first time, from 1977 to 1982. University officials confirmed what Gadd said, readily admitting that they set up a procedure in 1978 whereby athletes who wanted to use steroids could sign a consent waiver, read materials on the effects of steroids, and then be monitored by a doctor during use of the drug.
Assistant Athletic Director Ned Alger said that although the consent forms have been thrown away, he can only remember about five athletes - involving football, basketball and track - who went through the steroid procedure.
Alger said that in 1978 steroids didn't fit into the same category as banned drugs.
"I don't know how long steroids have been classified as a drug. I don't know if the NCAA even addressed the steroid issue then," said Alger. "I think ours was a case of not knowing at the time that steroids were the same classification as a (banned) drug. Ours was a procedure to control and monitor and educate. We didn't think of steroids as being in the same classification (as other drugs)."
Alger said the procedure the U. set up was not illegal, and that it was what they considered a forward-looking move. However, he didn't recall checking with the NCAA to see if the action was all right with the governing body.
Arnie Ferrin, who was the Ute athletic director in 1978, said steroid abuse was rampant among athletes, and administrators had grown concerned over whether steroids were wonder drugs or a step in the wrong direction.
"The whole purpose was that athletes were saying it won't hurt the body. They were saying, `No, it doesn't hurt you, everybody's doing it,' " said Ferrin.
He continued, "All the gyms downtown were selling it (steroids) to them. Kids in the dorms were saying it will make you bigger, faster, stronger. So we felt the way to handle it was to educate them."
Ferrin said the U. was the first school in the state to develop a drug-testing program.
Alger said last week that only a few athletes participated in the procedure from 1978 to 1981 or 1982, when it died out.
"We weren't trying to hide anything then and we're not now," said Alger. "We were trying to do what was best and logical."