Shame on you, Marcus Stroman. Shame on you.
Am I the only one that is tired of hearing about players testing positive, only to go on and use an excuse that they have no business using? “I’m sorry,” they say, their eyes moving steadily across the pre-recorded statement cue card, “I *your name* took something over the counter and I didn’t know it had bad mojo in it. I tested positive. I’m apologizing to my teammates and my fans. I will still keep the money, I will still be a power prospect. Thank you for your time.”
While they’re at it, they might as well add, “this will not be the last time you’ve heard this message.”
What bothers me about this whole issue is there are rules and procedures in place that allow the player to get a substance they are unsure off tested. There are measures to protect them and the organization for this EXACT situation. If you don’t know, you go to the trainers and you get the substance checked out. A player can’t trust a substance bought over the counter because Baseball’s testing scrutiny is more severe than the FDA’s. What normal humans walking on the street can consume, a player cannot not. Players are told this, time after time, in obnoxious, redundant meetings several times a season.
Ignorance is not a viable excuse. There is no reason for a player to be in the dark of what they’re ingesting. Marcus, you had the time, the money and the forewarning to get something you ingested tested. You should have. I’m disappointed, and while I’m sure my disappointment doesn’t bother you in the least, you are the highest profile player in the Jays low minor leagues–every thing you needed to do right by baseball was at your disposal. In a year of bad luck for the Jays, this could have been avoided.
No, this SHOULD have been avoided.
Players are dumb. Worse, they’re dumb and privileged. But those are not things you can hide behind forever.