Steroids Are Bad, mmkay?

In some very unsurprising news, Raiders fullback Luke Lawton has been suspended for the remaining two games of the season (as well as two next season) for violating the leagues substance-abuse guidelines. I don't mean to convey that it's not surprising due to Lawton's character or history (neither of which I know much about), but rather that it's no longer shocking to see athlete's being punished for using performance enhancing drugs.

It's reasonable to assume, in fact, that Lawton did not even know he was using PEDs. Many athletes being suspended today swear that they were using over-the-counter supplements which contained off-label ingredients banned by sporting authorities. This ability to buy banned substances at your local mall is something that has needed to be addressed by the FDA (or a similar body) for a long time now. Neither the NFL nor the Oakland Raiders organization has indicated what performance-enhancing drugs were at play, but the Star Caps suit has brought this trend of over-the-counter steroids into the spotlight, and should be addressed immediately before more careers are put in jeopardy.

As a final note, Luke Lawton is due to be a free agent in the off-season and probably will serve his suspension on another team. Gary Russell has been a fairly bright spot in a backfield of Russells, and will probably start next season with a free-agent pickup or draftee backing him up.

As always, you heard it here last.