saw this in the newspaper today

[MikeWilliams]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olymp...hgh/54326514/1

COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) – Weightlifter Pat Mendes has been suspended for two years after testing positive for human growth hormone.

Mendes, the top-ranked American in the over-105-kilogram weight class, admitted he used HGH after it showed up in two samples tested at an accredited lab in Utah, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said in a news release Monday.

The 21-year-old from Las Vegas, who finished eighth at last year's Pan Am Games, became the first American in a current Olympic sport to be disciplined for a positive HGH test. Last year, baseball player Mike Jacobs of the Colorado Rockies became the first North American pro athlete punished for taking HGH.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said the positive test, combined with Mendes' acceptance of the ban, "further confirms there's no legitimate reason for this test to not be put in effect in the NFL and other pro sports."

The NFL and NFL Players Association have tried to reach an agreement on how to implement HGH testing for more than six months. The players asked for more scientific data to prove the test is reliable.

Experts in the anti-doping movement said the test's reliability has been rigorously proven.

"The announcement today further demonstrates the scientific validity of the HGH test," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We look forward to resolving any remaining issues with the NFLPA and implementing the testing program agreed upon last summer" in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Union spokesman George Atallah did not immediately respond to a request from the Associated Press for comment. Union leaders and league executives met Monday in New York to discuss several issues, including HGH testing.

[Invain]

I feel bad for guys like this that get caught when the majority of his fellow athletes are most likely on something as well.

[chris mason]

Fucking ridiculous... US Weightlifting annoys me. They don't train properly and obviously the coaches are not like the track coaches who know how to get around such things...

[chris mason]

And yes, I feel bad for Mendes. He is FAARRRRRRRR from the only doped athlete in weightlifting...

[SELK]

That guy is an amazing lifter, maybe in his downtime he should try some powerlifting contests I bet he would do very well.

[Travis Bell]

I have to be terribly honest, I don't really feel bad for him. Even though one could very easily (and be correct) that the majority of the competitors in his sport are using some form or other of PED, that's still the risk you take when you use and it's against the rules.

It's just the choice you make. Same as the guys in the USAPL that get caught. They rolled the dice and got caught.

[ScottYard]

I have to be terribly honest, I don't really feel bad for him. Even though one could very easily (and be correct) that the majority of the competitors in his sport are using some form or other of PED, that's still the risk you take when you use and it's against the rules.

It's just the choice you make. Same as the guys in the USAPL that get caught. They rolled the dice and got caught.

I agree travis.

[RhodeHouse]

I'm with you, Travis. He knew what he was doing. Next time he'll beat the tests.

[vdizenzo]

Too much money is wasted on this crap. It's quite obvious many other countries just worry about testing clean when they need to. But feel free to smoke and drink as much as you want folks. Pefectly legal so it must be healthy right?

[drew]

If it's against the rules and he did it anyway, I can't feel bad for him. A 2-year suspension is kind of harsh though. Especially where in MLB, you get 50 games, about 2 months for a first offense and in the NFL you get 4 games. Both sports where the athletes get paid a whole lot of money.

Hopefully some day enough people will be educated enough to see that it's all a huge sham anyway and a huge waste of money and resources to make this stuff illegal any way. But until that day comes, people who want to compete have to do so within the rules, or suffer the consequences if they get caught.