Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell made 20 recommendations to the league in his report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. They fall under four categories: Better drug testing, other forms of investigating, education and treatment.
—
1) Better drug testing.
-Year-round, unannounced drug testing, with increased testing during the offseason and better protection from leaks before tests.
-Continually update drug testing as new techniques become available.
-Test all clubhouse employees just as players are tested.
-Test the top 100 draft eligible prospects each year, as identified by the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau.
-Ensure program transparency by submitting to outside audits and publishing reports of aggregate testing results.
-Respect rights of players when it comes to testing.
2) Other modes of investigating.
-Create an anonymous tip hot line.
-Background checks for all new clubhouse hires.
-Esablish a Department of Investigations with a senior executive who reports directly to the league president. Report all significant allegations of illegal substance use to the commissioner and president.
-Better cooperation and communication with law enforcement agencies.
-Prompt interviews with players alleged to be using.
-Make sure drug policy is clear, written and well-publicized so players and club personnel know the rules.
-Keep logs of packages sent to players at major league ballparks.
3) Improving the anti-drug education program.
-Educational program run by independent officer to ensure an unbiased, consistent effort.
-Presentations to players during spring training on the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs, including testimonials from speakers that players will relate to and law enforcement officials who can describe legal ramifications.
-Educate players on alternate ways to achieve the same results without performance-enhancing drugs and on the health risks of using substances bought on the black market.
-Inform players of the non-health-related hazards of buying drugs, including blackmail by shady dealers.
-Prominently display posters outlining baseball’s drug policy and the dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs.
4) Improve the league’s drug prevention and treatment program.
-Make the program independent from the league.
-Provide adequate funding for the program.
Add A Comment