NFL Decides To Keep Ephedra On Banned Substance List

Embattled Doctor Says More NFL Players On His Shortt List

The NFL has decided to “keep ephedra on the league’s list of prohibited substances even after a federal judge struck down” the FDA’s ban on the herbal stimulant, according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw said that he spoke with NFL Exec VP/Labor Relations Harold Henderson and the two “reaffirmed that ephedra will remain banned under the league’s steroid policy.” Upshaw: “Anyone can challenge it if they want. We have a [CBA]. If we decide to ban water, we can. If we believe something is harmful to our players, we’re going to ban it” (WASHINGTON POST, 4/15).

SHORTT YARDAGE: In Charlotte, Eichel & Chandler report the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners “has suspended the license” of Dr. James Shortt, who allegedly prescribed steroids to Panthers players before the ’04 Super Bowl. The suspension stated Shortt prescribed steroids to four men “in doses and frequencies that were extremely unlikely to have been prescribed with any legitimate medical justification.” The order added that the prescription began no later than January 4, 2004. A medical board spokesperson declined to say whether the four males cited in the suspension were Panthers players (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/15). Shortt his agent, Doug Ames, said that the Panthers “are not the only NFL team to have players treated” by Shortt. In Charlotte, Charles Chandler reports Shortt “declined to say how many NFL players, or from how many teams, he has treated. However, he mentioned the league’s high turnover rate.” Shortt: “All of a sudden, you may be treating somebody from city ‘A’ and then you’re treating them in city ‘B.’ That happens, as I’ve found out, reasonably regularly.” Shortt added he will discuss the issue in detail in his book, for which Ames said he is “close to finalizing a deal with a publisher and is targeting an early September release to coincide with the start of the NFL season” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/15).