AUSTIN, Texas — The second round of steroid testing for high school athletes in Texas found only seven positive results in nearly 19,000 tests, about the same minuscule outcome as the first round last year.
The University Interscholastic League on Friday released the latest results from random tests on male and female athletes in Texas from September through December. All seven athletes who tested positive were male.
The initial round of testing in the nation’s largest high school screening program found only four cases of steroid use in 10,000 athletes. With such tiny numbers, some state lawmakers have questioned the value of the $6 million program. Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, has suggested it may need to be scaled down.
A spokesman for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a Republican who pushed the plan through the Legislature in 2007, said the small number of positive results showed the program “is clearly working as a deterrent.”
“The lieutenant governor believes the program is working as intended to keep young people from destroying their bodies and their lives by using steroids,” spokesman Rich Parsons said.
Texas, New Jersey and Illinois are the only states testing high school athletes for steroids. Texas’ program aims to test up to 50,000 students by the end of the school year.
Florida recently decided to scrap its smaller program after one steroid user was caught in 600 tests. State officials said they couldn’t justify the $100,000 cost in a tough economy.
Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican, had previously criticized the Texas program as a “colossal waste of taxpayer money.” His office declined comment on the results released Friday.
Don Hooton, whose 17-year-old son committed suicide while battling depression that doctors believe was brought on by steroid use, said the testing was designed to prevent drug use, not to measure how many kids were using.
“They don’t stop testing Olympic athletes just because most of them don’t test positive,” Hooton said.
Testing is conducted by the National Center for Drug Free Sport, which also tests athletes for the NCAA. Athletes from all sports are eligible, but testing last fall was tilted heavily toward football.
Along with the seven confirmed cases of steroid use in the most recent round, 10 more students require further testing because their tests showed elevated testosterone levels, the report said.
Forty-eight more were deemed “protocol violations” because the students either refused to provide a urine sample or had unexcused absences on the day they were selected for testing.
Those who test positive once are suspended 30 days from play.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
