Brown backs drugs
13 August 2006
Herald-Sun
Jon Ralph
RICHMOND star Nathan Brown has ignited an explosive drugs-in-sport debate by declaring AFL players should be allowed to use steroids if recovering from long-term injuries.
Sidelined from last night's stirring win over the Brisbane Lions because of hamstring soreness, Brown said players needed help when trying to get back out on the field.
He said the drugs would be monitored and footballers would have to spend a certain time out of game before playing again so the drug was flushed from the system and not allowed to advantage the returning player in any other form.
``If any player has a bad knee injury or a bad break or something like that, which is career-threatening, they should be able to use any means possible to get their body right,'' he said.
``Blokes should have a certain time out of the game where they are not advantaged when they come back.
``Whatever they take when they get their knee right, or their broken leg right, just to help the healing _ a purely rehabilitation type thing.
``They should be able to do that so they can get back quicker and be back playing football again.''
Brown told Triple M Radio he would have liked to have used steroids to help him recover from his broken leg last year.
The classy forward snapped his tibia and fibula in Round 10 against Melbourne and was forced to endure a gruelling recovery program.
He returned at the start of this season, but has been plagued by soreness and has had to sit out some matches to allow the leg to recover.
``I guess it's hard to police because I guess steroids help the whole body but, say in my case where I did it in Round 10, I think you should have been able to take steroids to get your leg better,'' he said.
``You are guaranteed that you are not going to be playing until Round1 next year. You do all the tests you need to do to make sure that nothing is still in your system maybe two months before you actually play.
``It's a big game, football, now - there is a lot of money, a lot of sponsors involved.
``I guess the Richmond fans would like to see me out there.
``The St Kilda fans would like to see Matt Maguire out there, Luke Darcy for that matter, as well, out on the park a little bit quicker with a little bit of assistance that I don't think is cheating at all.''
Richmond coach Terry Wallace dismissed Brown's comments and said he would take the issue up with his forward this week.
``I don't think we are racehorses. I don't think we will be going down that sort of pathway,'' Wallace said.
``Our doctors tell us if you do everything right in your management and your recuperation, that there's no need whatsoever to be going down that pathway.
``I am sure our medical staff will be having those discussions with him ... so he is well informed.''
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