Supplements are bad news
First off, I’m not scientist. I’m no expert on substances. Don’t claim to be.
But the news that OU supplied banned substances to football players last autumn, then stopped after discovering the NCAA infraction, raises several questions about the entire practice. Not just at OU, but at colleges and even high schools everywhere.
Should schools be in the business of supplying supplements? Isn’t that a dangerous practice?
Strength and conditioning coaches, who generally oversee such dispersals, are virtual summer head coaches. What Jerry Schmidt says about a kid in the summer weighs mightily with Bob Stoops. What Rob Glass says about a player at OSU weighs mightily with Mike Gundy.
Players are beholding to these summer drill sergeants. Which can lead to trouble on two fronts. Players could take stuff they shouldn’t be taking, trying to impress these conditioning leaders. Players also could take stuff they don’t want to take, because the summer bosses gave it to them.
I suppose some supplements are OK, though I will need a panel of unbiased medical experts to say so before I sign off on it. Why eating healthy and working out isn’t enough, well, that’s left up to the NFL scouts to explain.
The summer conditioning programs are an absolute byproduct of college football being a talent mill for the NFL. I believe summer-conditioning programs should be banned.
College football players should be given the summers off. I know, I know. They WANT to work out, they WANT to become the best football players they can be, not because it could good old Alma Mater U. win games, but because it could help them go high in the draft.
But summer workouts are not in their best interests. Not by a longshot.
Better for players to take a summer off. Work. Go to school. Go to the beach. Live like normal students. That’s always a good idea.
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