(Schmidt). .
The NFL's confidentiality rules also make it impossible to know why a player failed, and often players take advantage of this. For example, if a player used steroids they can save their reputation and public perception by saying that they failed the test for using a more commonly understood and more publicly accepted drug like marijuana or Adderall (Schotty). The NFL only suspends players for 4 games after a failed drug test, which is 25% of the season. This is a weak punishment if you compare it to other leagues which do more testing and are more strict overall. For instance, the MLB (major league baseball) effectively launched a productive system which stopped players from using steroids after the steroid era and only have a few steroid users in the game today. Because of their effective testing for steroids and the harsh punishment (a 100 game suspension or 62.5% of regular season games) they impose for their use, the MLB has effectively dealt with the steroid problem in their league. If similar techniques were used in the NFL it would strike fear in potential steroid users and the NFL would dramatically reduce steroid use in that league as well.
The NCAA has a reputation which is as bad if not worse than the NFL because of the small number of players they test and the quality of testing for those players. The Associated Press conducted an investigation, which closely monitored the situation going on in college football and based its results on dozens of interviews with players, testers, dealers and experts and a strict analysis of weight records of over 61,000 players. All though NCAA professionals believed they had the problem under control, this investigation revealed that the ongoing issues with NCAA football and steroids is still a large problem in the sport. (The Associated Press). Players are more likely to test for street drugs by their colleges and universities than by the NCAA.
