Florida reveals unprecedented penalties for prep PED use
In the wake of South Florida's Biogenesis scandal, which came into the fold again this week when founder Anthony Bosch detailed Alex Rodriguez's alleged performance enhancing drug use on Sunday's "60 Minutes," the Florida High School Athletic Association has enacted more strict penalties against the use of PEDs.
Former Biogenesis of America employee Porter Fischer told multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press this past August, that he witnessed Bosch sell PEDs to high school athletes in the Miami area. Two current high school baseball players and another five who passed through the Miami-Dade and Broward County school systems were among the clients discovered on a list uncovered by the Miami Herald.
Now, the FHSAA is banning anyone who tests positive for PEDs from playing a sport until the student-athlete passes another test, according to The Florida Times-Union. While the FHSAA cannot directly conduct testing, individual schools have the right to do so.
“We believe we must draw a line in the sand against performance-enhancing drugs,” FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing said on a conference call this past summer upon beginning the discussion. “It’s the elephant in the room that all of us have known has existed for some time, but we may not have been as vigilant as we should have been.
“School districts simply cannot tolerate coaches who encourage or look the other way when they know student-athletes are using performance-enhancing drugs. Therefore these coaches should not be allowed by their school district policies to influence and coach these students in the future. It’s more about safeguarding fair play and saving students’ lives.”
A previous random testing program in Florida produced one positive test in 600 random tests, the Miami Herald reported. This new policy is believed to be the first of its kind.
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