Like many of you, I’m still processing the goings-on with the positive test result of Jeremy Mayfield for a banned substance. On the day job, I’ve breathed up a lot of air time on the pharmaceutical misdeeds in the world of baseball and football in particular. MLB’s slackness in not addressing steroid use 15 years ago and the resulting cloud over an entire generation of big league baseball is both heartbreaking and infuriating.
After NASCAR announced the formulation of an actual drug testing program, I figured it would be a matter of time before positive results would come back. One would have to be living in a dream world to figure that perhaps a non-driver might not get busted for a little off-track toke. Drug use is all around us, when you combine time, money and distance from home, you have all the ingredients for a few positive drug tests.
What I didn’t expect was a positive result for a driver. You would figure there’d be way too much at stake to even entertain the notion of taking a hit off a bong pipe, snorting a line or popping a pill. In days gone by, when fewer people were paying attention, I am quite sure a driver might sneak in a little rendevouz with “Mary Jane” or maybe even a little bit of “Peruvian Marching Powder”- providing their minds were right by race time. However, since the suspensions or Shane Hmiel, Aaron Fike and Kevin Grubb- coupled with the implementation of a testing policy, I figured the driving community, however many few that indulged, would lay off the junk after these events. Why risk millions and fame on a high that doesn’t last?
Even more surprising was the announcement that the driver in question was Jeremy Mayfield. Not only does he have the incredible pressure of trying to make a buck racing a car in a multi-million dollar sport, there’s all the added stress of writing checks for the organization. If there’s one thing Mayfield sure as hell doesn’t need is to plunge a dagger into his fledgling owner/driver venture with a blight like this. If AFLAC was (reportedly) pitching a fit over Carl Edwards’ little difference of opinion with Kevin Harvick, imagine what All Sport must be thinking right now.
It’s been said that drivers have to be a little bit crazy, or they wouldn’t in their right minds jump into a car, and while Mayfield may possess a little bit of that craziness, he’s sure not dumb. Perhaps he’s not used the best judgement with his former employers, but dumb? I think not.
Needless to say, as with anything in this sport, the blogosphere is rampant with speculation. On top of that you have a pair of other responses: those eager to defend Mayfield, and those grateful that NASCAR has a testing policy to weed out the riff-raff.
Me? I’ll reserve judgment. While I won’t dispute the positive test was accurate, I won’t at the same time dispute Mayfield’s claim of a bad mix of medications in his system. To be sure, it sounds like he’s stealing a page from the Manny Ramirez book of denial (which ain’t a river in Egypt), but unless I see that test results with my own eyes, or get it from a credible source, I’m going to reserve criticism on Mr. Mayfield.
This needs be put out in the open. Frankly, if I’m Mayfield, and I haven’t snorted, smoked or popped something illicit- I’m naming names. I’m saying “I took some Brand X allergy medicine which has this and such in it and I should have been smarter and talked with somebody about it, but I didn’t and now I need to get with NASCAR to get this sorted out so I can get back to the business of driving.”
I think most reasonable people would accept that. Don’t you?
At the same time, NASCAR needs to get its story out, or this is just going to look like one more situation where they’ve made a ruling without any real clear explanation. It will be NASCAR that looks bad if they’re not willing to come forward with what they know. Unless the NASCAR brass has been hiding under a rock, they know they’ve got a little bit of a PR problem with the fan base with what they perceive as capriciousness on the part of the governing body.
I’m not saying I fully agree, but the perception is widely held.
If it turns out that Mayfield’s version of the story’s true, then this is a great instructional moment as to how to address future instances of what just happened. To be honest with you, I’m not sure why he didn’t take the proactive approach and go to SOMEBODY in authority and say “I’m taking this stuff for allergies” and then find out what the options are for addressing it. After all, if we believe Cousin Carl’s commercials, he lives “Claritin clear.” Given the power structure of NASCAR, it wouldn’t take an act of Congress to say “OK, Jeremy. What you should have done here was A, B, & C. We’ve not been down this road before, but knowing what we know now, here’s what you should do.” And then reinstate him.
If, on the other hand, it’s a street drug or steroids, well then, NASCAR has done its part to get a potential hazard off the track. Sadly, Jeremy Mayfield is then held up as “Exhibit A” for what happens when a driver plays with fire, and he serves as a cautionary tale for the future. There’s no reason I can see for holding back the truth. The governing body doesn’t have some union trying to strong arm them into silence.
This truly a sad event in NASCAR history, regardless of how it came about. Either we have a driver who failed to communicate, or worse yet, we’ve had the career of one of NASCAR’s true blue collar figures derailed due to an extremely poor decisions.
Regardless of what happened, everyone involved needs to address the issue openly and move on.
Nothing good will come from concealing the details. Enough damage has occurred already.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
To the “quick to judge” general public, I am going to play devil’s advocate. Did most of you know that products such as Niquil contain a component that has a higher narcotic property than morphine? Niether did I until a co-worker of mine at the fire house’s pissed test came back positive for narcotics. So, with that, AND providing he was being completly truthful, I researched Niquil and was astounded at what I found. Right off the top, I cannot recall the name of the chemical, but it is indeed in there, and in all generic forms as well. We may never hear what Mayfield tested for, and maybe that’s okay.
Now, if this does in fact, come back to be illicit, then, shame on him. He’s way old enough, and smart enough to know that eventually…we all get caught. It should be interesting to see how this plays out, especially from a driver who should have known better as he has to race his way in week to week. I wouldn’t say it’s the “black eye” Jeff Gordon dramaticized in an interview, because we are all guilty of being one thing, human. However, I do believe he was correct in stating it will make everyone in the garage area aware that “this” is really happening.
I think this could be a “wake up call” in many ways. To the drivers and crews it means you shouldn’t be doing the illegal drugs and eventually you will be caught and have to pay the ultimate price. And if they use OTC or prescription drugs for anything, even a common cold, they need to notify someone somewhere. Maybe a chain of command of sorts…..tell the crew chief, he tells the team manager, he tells the team owner, he tells NASCAR authorities. At least so everyone will know that nothing is trying to be hidden.
Since the company I work for is ISO registered and hauls interstate, every employee (even those of us that work in the office) is subject to random drug testing. I’ve been there almost two years and tested twice. There are strict guidelines for confidentiality and integrity of the samples. And both times, the one that took the samples asked me beforehand if I had used or taken anything that they needed to know about, such as OTC drugs. And once, they even asked me if I had eaten anything with sesame seeds in the previous days because that could show a positive on the tests.
I guess the point I’m trying make is that I’m willing to give Mayfield and the others the benefit of doubt until I have more information. But I also think NASCAR did the right thing with the suspensions until they at least have the chance to investigate more. Racing is dangerous enough without having someone on the track juiced or wired, if indeed that is the case.
I think NASCAR has to put together a list of what they consider illegal. Like Jackie pointed out, a lot of OTC medications have stuff in them that would be considered illegal. This way the drivers and crews would know if they have to tell someone there taking a cold medicine. There are too many grey area’s in NASCAR’s rule book. I’m rooting for Jeremy.