Nonprofit battling steroid use critical of UD coach's participation in strongman events

A University of Delaware coach’s participation in certain strongman events has drawn criticism from the leader of a nonprofit aimed at curbing the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

UD strength and conditioning coach Thomas Evans has demonstrated his might by becoming one of the country’s premier competitors in strongman events. They typically include a variety of cleverly conceived and rigorous tests in which participants demonstrate their power by lifting, lugging, pushing, pulling and tossing various objects and contraptions.

Evans, a former All-CAA offensive lineman at Richmond, won the Arnold Amateur Strongman in 2022. Moving up to the professional ranks, the 6-foot-3, 360-pound Evans was fifth, earning $13,000, in the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic. He placed ninth and earned $5,000 earlier this month at the 2024 event in Columbus, Ohio, having withdrawn after competition commenced.

Al Thompson, founder of Pennsylvania-based Protect Our Youth from Steroids, said the Arnold events have typically involved bodybuilders who use steroids, including several who later died at a young age. He has included pictures of some of those athletes, including one who played football against Delaware for James Madison and another who was a strength coach at rival Villanova, in correspondence with UD officials.

Those Arnold Sports Festival competitions are named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilder-turned-actor who later became California governor. The International Fitness and Bodybuilding Association, which claims to follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules, sanctions the event. But no drug testing is done of participants, who “routinely post their steroid routine,” Thompson said.

Asked if it was fair to make such a broad assumption, Thompson suggested UD and Evans are guilty by association.

In email communication with Thompson last year, UD did laud Thompson’s “commitment to the education about steroid use,” he said, and told him Evans does not use steroids and is “a model employee.”

“This isn’t about Tom Evans,” said Thompson, who has never spoken to or met the UD coach. “This is about the University of Delaware for getting involved with these people.”

Pennsylvania resolution condemns events

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has twice singled out, in non-binding resolutions condemning performance-enhancing drugs, the Arnold event because it “knowingly allows or encourages” such use. They state PED use by athletes “jeopardizes their lives” and negatively impacts young people “influenced by the conduct of the athletes they hope to emulate.”That’s “embarrassing to the University of Delaware,” Thompson said.

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The Pennsylvania resolutions also mentioned the World’s Strongest Man competition, operated by the sports media company IMG. Evans placed fourth in his competitive group in 2023 at that event, which also does not test for drugs. UD has been among IMG’s college sports marketing clients.

Thompson singled out the university for being among “Brands that just don’t get it” by promoting “these steroid-infested competitions” in a PDF poster he produced for Protect Our Youth from Steroids titled “Steroid Nation” that is critical of the Arnold events.

Evans 'a model employee'

Evans, 29, is the head strength and conditioning coach for the Blue Hens’ two-time defending CAA champion men’s lacrosse team, according to the staff directory on BlueHens.com, though he is involved with other Blue Hen squads, including football.

The UD athletics communications office provided this statement to Delaware Online/The News Journal:

“University of Delaware Athletics considers ethics and fair play among its highest values in our student-athletes’ pursuit of success in the classroom and in athletic competition. For the past seven years, Tom has executed the expectations of his role in a professional manner while upholding our mission to support student-athletes through his work as strength and conditioning coach.”

UD athletics officials would not comment when asked how Evans’ participation in Strongman events may reflect poorly on the university, considering he works closely with student-athletes who do undergo periodic drug testing. Nor would Delaware specifically allude to possible PED use when asked for clarity.

Evans was not made available for comment by UD.

Thompson: Bad example being set

A 2022 article on BlueHens.com reported Evans’ 2022 Arnold Amateur Strongman title and detailed his path to prominence when his football career ended. After starring at Richmond, Evans had a brief free-agent stint with the Green Bay Packers.

“They say ‘Our guy’s gonna be doing this [event]’ and there’s no mention of the steroids in it,” said Thompson, who regularly speaks at high schools, including a visit to Christiana, about the perils of steroid use. “And your border neighbor [Pennsylvania] has condemned these events twice.”

Thompson is a journalist who has covered high school, college and pro sports in the area. He is editor and founder of Football Stories magazine and its website footballstories.com.

“Whether [Evans] was doing drugs or not is irrelevant,” Thompson said. “The overwhelming majority, if not all these guys, are on steroids. They’re abusing themselves.”

They are also, Thompson added, setting a horrific example for high school and college athletes.

Threat raises questions

Thompson said he has been repeatedly foiled in his efforts to personally discuss the situation with UD officials, including President Dennis Assanis and Athletic Director Chrissi Rawak, who did email him. A member of Assanis’ staff did confirm to Thompson that UD had received information sent by him, including the PDF critical of the university.

But his persistence was apparently not appreciated by all. Thompson said he received a phone call from a UD police officer last year telling him he was under investigation for harassment. Considering it a contrived threat, Thompson reported the incident to Delaware’s office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He said he later received a call from UD police saying there was no such complaint and the officer had been mistaken in contacting him.

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The University of Delaware responded to an inquiry with the following statement that slightly contradicts Thompson's account:

"Upon review of their records, UD Police confirmed that Mr. Thompson was interviewed in Summer 2023 as part of an investigation into complaints of harassment of University of Delaware employees. The investigation revealed that Mr. Thompson had contacted many UD employees on multiple occasions over several months. Mr. Thompson was advised by UD Police not to contact the victims by email, phone calls, in person, or by a third party. The Victim’s Bill of Rights prohibits UD Police from providing specific information about victims."

Thompson’s nonprofit was among the organizations that pushed for Congress to pass the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act in 2020. Named after the whistleblower who revealed widespread doping by Russian athletes, it allows sanctions to be imposed on those involved in doping activities at international sporting events. Thompson is now part of the effort to have those rules installed for national events in the U.S.

As an offensive lineman at Richmond from 2012-16, Evans became a starter who was voted second-team All-CAA in 2015 by league coaches and a first-team pick in 2016. His coach at Richmond, Danny Rocco, became Delaware coach after the 2016 season and brought his Richmond strength coach, Chris Stewart, with him to Delaware. Stewart, who remains the UD football strength and conditioning coach and heads that department as an associate athletic director, hired Evans for his staff.Evans was the subject of a USA Today feature story last year. It details how the disappointment of not making an NFL roster fueled Evans’ determination to devote his weight training toward Strongman competitions. He debuted with a fifth-place finish among nine competitors at the 2019 America’s Strongest Man event.

The fourth-place finisher at this year’s Arnold Strongman Classic was Iceland native Hafthór Björnsson. He is a former champion of the event who has admitted to steroid use and been charged with domestic violence. Björnsson is internationally known for having played the character of Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as “The Mountain,” in the popular HBO series “Game of Thrones.”

“Are you happy the University of Delaware is on the same marquee?” Thompson said of what he’d ask UD about being associated with such events because of Evans’ participation.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware coach Thomas Evans blasted for being in strongman events