A really long, scattered post.

I've been hesitant to write anything about the current situation with our team and the Daniel. I didn't want to comment because in some ways the whole subject is so sensitive. I also, out of respect to Daniel, wanted to wait and hear what he and the club had to say before making any statement of my own. At times like these, I don't know if it is a good or bad thing to have a blog like this one. On one hand, it is nice to have a forum where I can express my feelings and an outlet for all the thoughts that swim around in my head every day, on the other hand, it might not be necessary for others to know how I feel about this.

First thing's first, anything I say about Daniel specifically assumes that the B-sample will also come back positive. Of course, there is always the chance that something got contaminated, but history has proven that this is almost never the case. No matter what I write below, I do believe that Daniel should be punished. I do, however, believe that the punishment should fit the crime and in this case I don't think it does. But I think that will be pretty clear...

Second, I want to state from the beginning that I don't consider this to be a "Doping" case. For me, the term "Doping" connotes someone trying to get a competitive advantage by taking performance enhancing substances. I can't imagine anyone making the argument that this is the case here. Yes, cocaine could hypothetically boost performance in a match, but I just don't buy that someone would choose to use it in this way. It's just not a feasible or believable scenario. No matter what you think about the case, this is the key to everything. Intentionally trying to cheat vs. making a mistake.

So, if it's not "doping", what is it? Well, and I guess this is where I might get in trouble, in my mind it isn't really anything. I think it IS a dumb mistake. And people who claim that it doesn't matter if it was intentional or unintentional - the people who believe rules are rules - are missing the point. I'll be the first to say that anyone who tries to get an advantage on someone else in sports by taking performance enhancing drugs deserves to be punished heavily. However, this is not what happened here. We're not talking about cheating here. We're talking about someone who made a mistake. And as it stands now, someone who is going to pay an incredibly high price for that mistake. There is a HUGE difference between making a mistake and intentionally seeking a chemical advantage. I think we're all paranoid right now because of the prevalence of steroids, human growth hormone and other similar drugs in the sports world. That's why I've been disappointed in the sensational "Doping" headlines that have been flashed across national newspapers and tv screens. It's not right. And it's definitely not "doping".

People have made the argument that it is necessary to protect the integrity of the sports world, that we don't want volleyball to be seen as "dirty". I agree, we don't want that. But how far are we willing to go to uphold that "clean" image? Is it really fair to end someone's career for one mistake?

But, what about the kids? Surely, we don't want to set the wrong example for them, right? True, we don't want to set the wrong example for kids. And no one should make the argument that cocaine is good for you. However, I would argue that it is just as important to show children that there are support systems in place to help them when they make mistakes. Stigmatizing someone and turning your back on them because of one stupid thing that they did is not the way to breed a safe "clean" environment for the future. Yes, sports are about fair play and hard work, but at their best, they are also about teamwork and the way that one player's positive aspects make up for another player's deficiencies. I know that this is an idealistic and perhaps optimistic way of looking at things, but I'm not sure people understand that by casting off our "problem" athletes, we set an example that is just as bad as those that choose to cheat.

Make no mistake, this case is all about societal stigma. It's a matter of what we, as a society, have decided is okay and what is not. Cocaine is attached to all sorts of negative mental images for us. Rightly so. But as far as doping goes, it should not. Is there anyone out there who believes that someone should be given a two year suspension for smoking hash? What about tobacco? What about drinking beer? What about eating French hot dogs? Team Danmark Menu anybody? Cocaine and hash sit right next to each other on the list of banned substances, does that make them equal? Does that make hash equal to HGH or steroids? It's such a pathetic system. We're regulating what our athletes can and can't do in their PRIVATE lives in the name of keeping sports "clean". And I think it's a farce. We do all these things because we want to set a "good" example and the concept just doesn't make sense.

And before people go crazy. No, I don't think that kids should do drugs. No, I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to do drugs. But you know what? I also don't think it's a good idea for people to eat fast food and smoke cigarettes. But they do. It's an ancient argument, but no one has ever satisfactorily argued the case as to why cigarettes, booze and fast food are legal and party drugs are not. What does being an athlete have to do with any of this? When did it become taboo for an athlete to drink a beer and eat a Big Mac? Why can't we teach people to make informed decisions instead of just blacklisting whatever is bad for them?

In order to make all of this more clear, let me explain my understanding of what has happened to Daniel.

1. He made a terrible choice (that clearly did not have anything to do with volleyball) and did something that was against the rules.
2. He got caught.
3. His future as a very good volleyball player has essentially been taken away from him.
4. People feel this is justified as a deterrent/warning to anyone else.

Why is this a good deterrent? The rules were there beforehand and they obviously didn't stop anyone from doing anything in this case. There are numerous current examples of athletes being caught for "doping" and obviously this didn't stop anyone from doing anything. The bottom line is that most people need to experience something for themselves before they can relate to it. People need to think about the extreme nature of the punishment before they judge Daniel. It's not just two years away from the sport. It's two years away from anything physical. No weight lifting. No beach volleyball. Nothing. It's a death sentence for a relatively young career and I can't bring myself to believe that this is justified in any way. It's not about cheating. It's about a mistake. I can't say it enough, a mistake. Yes, a dumb mistake, and a dangerous one at that, but it was not a conscious attempt to cheat. This isn't going to stop anyone from snorting cocaine in the future. If anyone thinks that, they're crazy.

I've always wondered why so called "party" drugs are included in athletic drug testing. It seems to me an unlucky circumstance that they stay in the system longer than other more "accepted" drugs like caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. All of which affect the human system in some way or another, by the way. As was brought to our attention by William on his blog, the metabolites that the body produces to ingest the drug can stay in your system for up to a month. So, why are we testing for those metabolites? Why aren't we testing for the actual drug which stays in your system for 1-3 days? It seems to me that if you want to prevent someone from getting an unfair advantage you'd want to stop them from using the drugs DURING a game - not look as far into their past as possible.

It's funny, this method of testing has actually made the sport look dirtier instead of cleaner. They looked as far as they could into his body history and found something that shouldn't be there. There is absolutely no evidence that he used it to boost his performance. Most indicators point to recreational use, possibly a mistake, possibly the product of someone else slipping something into a drink. But the end result is that the sport looks worse than it did before. For no good reason. The notion, however, that volleyball will be thought of as a "dirty" sport because of this is totally insane. I've played several different sports and I've experienced lots of negatives/positives in each. Just because someone tested positive for a drug doesn't really change my feelings about that sport. Any parent who would be afraid to let their child go to KIDSvolley because of this is daft.

I have another major problem with the system. Why was this made public? Why are we looking for bad publicity for volleyball and adding to the embarrassment of a semi-amateur athlete? I don't understand it. Daniel doesn't make a living from playing volleyball. Why is he being judged as if he does?

Okay, after all that. I'm not afraid to say that I'm possibly more angry with Daniel than almost anyone else. If for nothing else, our team needs him, and he let us down. But, he has apologized and he's taken the negative attention and the punishment like a man. He should be suspended and there should be major consequences. But, two years, essentially ending his career isn't acceptable. It's not an acceptable signal to send to our youth. One strike and you're out isn't right. And I don't know where the line is, three months, six months, maybe a year... Set up a time frame that allows for counseling or whatever else is necessary but let him come back and show that you can make an error and still be productive afterwards. If he tests positive again then he has shown contempt for the sport and for everyone who participates in it, including himself and obviously would deserve a more substantial punishment. But the first positive test does not warrant such a strong response.

The point is that we should be supporting and not blacklisting. We all have an interest in making sure our athletes are clean, but we also have an interest in helping them when they can't live up to our expectations. Athletes are only human and they don't deserve to be treated as examples.